


free food

by glitch_writes



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Post-Canon, Slow Burn, more like a medium burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-24
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-06 03:30:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 39,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12808650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glitch_writes/pseuds/glitch_writes
Summary: I won’t fall for this trap.He had strength. He wouldn’t give in to Tanaka’s villainous ways, his foul temptations.[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]: any place u want[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]: free movies[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]: any movies u wanna see[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]: even the boring 1s u like[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]: that baseball team u like is playing[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]: chikara[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]: chikara[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]: cmon[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]: free foodHis stomach growled.He was a weak, weak man.With promises of free food, Ennoshita finds himself wrapped up in the worst idea imaginable to cover up his friend's dumb white lie: Pretending to be boyfriends.





	1. faulty bi-dar

**Author's Note:**

> For [Starlity](http://http://starlity.tumblr.com/)!

“So, uh… I, uh, made a mistake today…”

“Color me surprised.”

“Why do you gotta roast me in my time of need, Ennoshita?”

“Because you bring out the monster in me.” Ennoshita wiped off the kitchen counter before he leaned on it, making a mental note to actually clean it later. And to scrub that tiny smudge of ink out of his cuff while he was at it- the damn thing had been bugging him all day. He held his phone to his ear with his shoulder before licking his thumb to wipe at the smudge in vain again. “What happened, Tanaka? You’re not hurt, are you? You sound fine.”

“I’m hurt that you won’t take me seriously. These scars in my heart will never heal.”

“I’m sure you’ll recover. Why couldn’t we talk about whatever this is over text?”

There was a shuffling on the other end of the line that Ennoshita couldn't make out past Tanaka’s voice. “Cause it’s time sensitive, and your lazy ass takes forever to respond.”

“I’m not lazy, just… _relaxed_ about texts.” Alright, he was lazy. He still had to respond to Daichi and Suga… and Yahaba, and Futakuchi, and his one sort-of-a-friend from work, and Yamaguchi’s weird moral dilemma about whether it would be okay to eat fish if he went vegetarian. He was only quick to respond to dog pics - couldn’t risk that Tanaka would stop sending them. “So, out with it. What did you do?”

“I lied about a thing.”

Ennoshita switched his phone to his hand, the stain forgotten. Either Tanaka was in trouble, or - a far more likely scenario - he said something hilariously dumb. “I’m listening.”

“So I told the guys I was bi, and-”

“Wait, wait. Start at the beginning.”

“Back when I was 11, there was this guy in my class-”

“Not that far back,” Ennoshita laughed. He already knew the whole not-so-tragic ‘the guy was so cute, but I didn’t know what to do about it, so I named my hamster after him’ backstory. And teased Tanaka endlessly for it. Until Tanaka got another hamster he named Shouyo that turned out to be a girl, and she- well, mother hamsters were a strange breed of terrifying. “Fast forward to today.”

“Alright, so Ukai was actually at practice for once, right- for the Neighborhood Association, I mean. And we were- One sec.” Tanaka’s voice grew distant before he cut himself off, a muffled scratching filling the silence for the two seconds it took for Tanaka to continue. “So we’re changing after practice, just screwing around with each other like always, and I’m trying to get him to admit he’s got the hots for Take-chan. And he says, ‘What makes you think I like guys?’ And I tell him, I got a bi-dar-”

“A bi-dar?”

The telltale jingle of keys followed the familiar creak of Tanaka’s old door. “You know, like a gay-dar. Can smell a bi from a mile away.”

“Tanaka, you didn’t realize I was gay until you caught me kissing Terushima. A year after we graduated. Even though I had ‘in a relationship with Terushima Yuuji’ on facebook.”

“I thought you were kidding!”

“And why did you think I was kidding, again?” Ennoshita hummed.

“Cause I thought you were- Hey, don’t turn this around on me! I said I had a _bi_ -dar, not a _gay_ -dar.”

“Uh huh. So you were poking your nose into Ukai-san’s personal life…”

“Right, right. So I say I’m bi, right, and nobody except Asa-chan believes me.” Tanaka paused oh so briefly before he began again, like a kid about to confess to his mom that he broke a window with a baseball. “So, uh, this is where the lie comes in…”

“I’m not going to like where this is going, aren’t I?”

“…So, I said I had a boyfriend…”

“ _Tanaka_ …”

“…And this is where you come in…”

“No, this is where I leave. Bye.”

“Ennoshita, wait-”

Ennoshita hung up with impressive speed - he needed to rub his temples as soon as possible, after all. And lean over to rest his forehead on the cool counter. And then regret it because he could feel the crumbs from his toast from before he went to work, but it was too late, his forehead was already sullied, he may as well leave it there.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out Tanaka’s scheme. And he already had his answer: This was Tanaka’s mess to deal with. Besides, he didn’t have time to be Tanaka’s pretend boyfriend - he had plans for the next few weeks. Plans that included sitting around in a shirt and briefs, and playing that crappy new game he got that he inexplicably cannot stop playing. Today was definitely a no-pants day. Maybe it was a ‘buy-way-too-much-junk-food’ day, too-

The incessant rattle of his phone pulled him from his sweet daydreams about consuming way too much sodium. He watched with mild amusement at the way his phone slowly slid across the counter as it vibrated, watching its eventual journey towards the coffee pot. His phone had the right idea - he could use a night dedicated to caffeine and gaming.

He grabbed the phone before it could slide off the counter. _I should mute him for the night,_ he thought with a sigh. _Maybe if I leave him on read, he’ll get the picture._ With a pinch of annoyance - and more curiosity than he’d care to admit - he opened the messages.  
  


**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** wait come back  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** ennoshita  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** ennoshita  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**   chikara  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**   i'll pay 4 everything  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**  i'll buy u food  
  


Ennoshita’s eyes lingered on that one text in particular. _I won’t fall for this trap._ He had strength. He wouldn’t give in to Tanaka’s villainous ways, his foul temptations.  
  


**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**   any place u want  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** free movies  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**   any movies u wanna see  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** even the boring 1s u like  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**   that baseball team u like is playing  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**   ennoshita  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**   chikara  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**   chikara  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**   cmon  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**   free food  
  


His stomach growled.

He was a weak, weak man.  
  


**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:**   F i n e  (⁎˃ᆺ˂)

 **[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** YES!!!!!!!!!!! thank u thank u thank uuuuu!!! ヽ(*´з｀*)ﾉ

 **[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:**   It better be good food ( #`⌂´)/  
**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:**   If you go cheap I’m fake-dumping you in front of all your friends

 **[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**   only the best 4 u babe ( ˘ ³˘)♥

 **[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:**   On second thought  
**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** I’m dumping you rn  
**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:**   It’s not me, it’s you (￣-￣)ﾉ"

 **[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** ur such a jokester BABE  
  


Ennoshita muted his phone and tossed it over to the couch. They could iron out the details some other time. Right now, it was a ‘forget bothering to change out of work clothes and just play that crappy game asap’ time. Showering gave him too much time to regret his life choices, when his priorities should be turning off his mind and shooting aliens. He could do that whole ‘hygiene’ thing later.

_Fake dating Tanaka, huh?_

It could be fun. He’d been meaning to hang out with him more, anyway. And now he’d get food out of it, so it wasn’t really a loss. But it was… It was going to be complicated, wasn’t it? They’d have to make up some story about how they got together, and they’d probably have to get all PDA-heavy to catch attention on purpose, and- _Ugh, I’m not going to think about this right now._

After two minutes spent wiping his counters, one minute sweeping the crumbs off the floor, ten minutes trying to scrub the ink out of his cuff before giving up, and five seconds taking his pants off anyway, he was finally ready.

The beep of his PS4 turning on was beautiful music to his ears, unlike the mediocre soundtrack of the game taking it’s sweet time loading-

“Oi! Ennoshita!” The loud thuds on his door qualified more as ‘banging’ rather than ‘knocking’. “Open up!”

With his controller in hand and an unconcerned lack of pants, Ennoshita swung open the door to glare at Tanaka. “Why are you here?!”

Tanaka had the gall to flash him an innocent grin. “To pick you up for our date!”


	2. divine punishment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So, why did you ask me to be your fake boyfriend? We don’t exactly lack not-straight friends.”
> 
> “I, uh, sorta…” Tanaka scratched the back of his neck, wearing that poor excuse for an innocent grin, “…dropped your name.”
> 
> Tanaka was less like a wave of karma, and more like an entire ocean of it, knocking Ennoshita over again and again. He could practically feel the saltwater up his nose whenever Tanaka opened his mouth. “Why me?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I mentioned yet that [Starlity](http://starlity.tumblr.com) is awesome? Cause I plan to remind you with every chapter. Which may be like 20 total, give or take. Not enough times to mention how awesome they are, but it's a start. (ha ha, accidental pun on their art tag, nice) Working with them for the [ennotana zine](https://ennotanazine.tumblr.com/) has been a supreme honor, and it was a lot of fun. I'm so excited for you all to see it on Dec 29!!
> 
> Just a heads up: Mentions of ocean water and waves throughout, but mostly at the beginning. Nothing traumatizing, but just in case. If that's a thing you want to skip, skip ahead to "“So…” Tanaka’s smirk was so smug as his gaze flickered over Ennoshita’s attire"

Ennoshita wasn’t the greatest at recalling childhood memories; he was always left a bit awestruck whenever someone could recite the exact age and details of something ultimately insignificant that happened in their young life. He could recall plenty of his own, of course, but the details were fuzzy. Years, locations, names - they were all tangled up in his memory, and quite frankly, he would prefer it if his mother would stop reminding him of the more embarrassing moments, like when he told her he was going to marry Sonic the Hedgehog when he was seven.

One memory he could recall with stunning clarity, without his mother’s completely unnecessary help, was when his aunt took him and his older cousin - who was a total jerk - to the beach when he was four. He was building a sandcastle too close to the water, unaware of the slowly approaching tide. It was the greatest sandcastle anyone could ever build - the sand clumped up perfectly in the bucket, each ridge was flawless, and his moat was even on every side.

It was way better than his jerk cousin’s sandcastle.

But Mother Nature was as cruel as his own mother with their lessons of humility, and with a single wave, his castle was washed away. His no-good cousin laughed - _laughed!_ \- as his perfect palace crumbled.

Blinded by fury, he waddled over and laid waste to his cousin’s crappy castle, one tiny stomp at a time.

As he raised his leg for the final stomp to finish the terrible deed, a wave crashed into him, sending him face-first into the sand - mouth full of mud, saltwater all up in his nose, sand in places where it should never be.

Twenty years later, whenever he thought about things like “karma”, fate’s divine punishments and all that, he thought about that wave.

Tanaka was that damn wave personified, punishing him for his misdeed from two decades ago.

“So…” Tanaka’s smirk was so smug as his gaze flickered over Ennoshita’s attire - or lack thereof - that Ennoshita briefly considered homicide. “You planning on going out like that? A bit risque, not that I'm compl-"

Ennoshita yanked him inside by the lapel of his leather jacket. “Why didn’t you give me a warning?!”

“I _said_ it was time sensitive!”

If looks could kill, Ennoshita would have incinerated him. “Tanaka, I swear-”

Tanaka puffed out his chest. “I'm not scared of you anymore, Captain. Your tyrant reign is over.”

Ennoshita narrowed his eyes, tightening his grip on the jacket.

Tanaka deflated. “Alright, I’m a little scared.”

“That’s what I thought.” Ennoshita let go of the lapel. Then smoothed it down as an afterthought. “This is a nice jacket. When did you get it?”

“Two weeks ago, I think? Something like that.” Tanaka kicked the door behind him closed with his heel. “It was on sale. Looks good on me, right?” Tanaka tugged on either side of the open zipper, turning his shoulders side to side to show it off.

Ennoshita admired the perfect way it fit him with a sliver of envy. Tanaka could pull off any look, really. He didn’t need the jacket to make even the plain shirt and jeans he was wearing look good. But the jacket was a nice touch. “Yeah, it suits you.”

“Your undies suit you, too.” Tanaka winked, complete with fingerguns.

Ennoshita snorted. “Flattery only works with appetizers.” He walked back towards the TV, holding down the PS button on his controller to shut the system down. Shooting aliens would have to wait. “You’d better go all out. Desserts and everything.”

Tanaka untied his boots and kicked them off like some sort of savage. At least he had the decency to set them beside Ennoshita’s loafers somewhat neatly. “Have mercy on my wallet, Chikara.”

“You should have thought of that before bribing me.” Ennoshita nudged his head in the direction of his room, beckoning Tanaka to follow. “Where are we going?”

Tanaka made himself at home on the unmade bed, sitting on the edge and leaning back on his elbows. “The guys are meeting up at some hole-in-the-wall by the gym. The Neighbourhood Association guys, I mean.”

“How’s the food?”

“Is that all you think about?”

“I’m a simple man.” His closet door screeched in defiance, and Ennoshita considered doing the same at the thought of leaving the house. _Do it for the food, Chikara._ “Casual… casual...” he mumbled to himself as he looked over his outfit options, grabbing a pair of jeans first.

“No stripes.”

Ennoshita pulled the jeans up over his legs - and ignored that they felt tighter than the last time he wore them. Must have shrunk in the dryer, that’s all. “What’s wrong with stripes?!”

“It’s all you wear!”

“That’s not true.”

“Alright, prove me wrong, then. Show me a shirt that’s not striped.”

Ennoshita looked over his wardrobe. Then looked it over again. “…Do work clothes count?”

“You’re killing me here, Ennoshita.” The bed creaked as Tanaka shuffled onto his side to get a better look into the closet without having to get up. “Go with the weird blue and pink one. Or that yellow one you always wear. Yellow’s a good color on you.”

Ennoshita tugged the pale yellow shirt with thin, black stripes off the hanger. If there was anyone that had a clue on how to dress, it would be Tanaka, after all. If only Tanaka could just be the fashionable friend instead of the hot friend, too, that would be super; Ennoshita liked hanging out with him and all, but Tanaka had a habit of being the attractive friend that overshadowed the rest of them.

_Not like I’ll be picking up guys as long as I have a fake boyfriend,_ Ennoshita mentally conceded as he pulled the shirt over his head. _Oh no, what if someone flirts with Tanaka? I’d have to do something, right? How should I act? Crap, I don’t know how to act, I’ve only done directing-_

“On second thought…” Tanaka squinted his eyes at the shirt. “Go with the blue. The yellow makes you look like Charlie Brown.”

“Good. I feel like him.” They both winced at the closet door’s screech as Ennoshita closed it. “Alright. Let’s get some food.”

*

Tanaka was a slow driver.

Obnoxiously slow.

Made worse by his road rage whenever someone drove around to pass him. “Hey, screw you, too!”

“You don’t need to go the exact speed limit,” Ennoshita teased. He didn’t need to flip off every other car on the road, either, but that would be asking too much. And it was - in some inexplicable way - part of Tanaka’s charm, anyway. Driving like a grandpa, attitude like a pre-teen in his rebel phase.

“I ain’t taking any chances. Have you seen Sis’s collection of speeding tickets? I’m thinking about putting them in a photo album for her birthday.”

“How sweet of you.” Ennoshita’s gaze drifted to the scenery slowly dragging by. Well, at least they didn’t lack for time to talk things over. “So, why did you ask me to be your fake boyfriend? We don’t exactly lack not-straight friends.”

“I, uh, sorta…” Tanaka scratched the back of his neck, wearing that poor excuse for an innocent grin, “…dropped your name.”

Tanaka was less like a wave of karma, and more like an entire ocean of it, knocking Ennoshita over again and again. He could practically feel the saltwater up his nose whenever Tanaka opened his mouth. “Why me?!”

“You came to mind first! And they all believed it, and you agreed, so it worked out!”

“What do you mean they all believed it?!”

“They were just, you know. Kinda surprised for a minute, then they were all,” Tanaka lowered the pitch of his voice for a poor impression, wiggling the one hand not on the steering wheel for emphasis, “‘Congrats, guys, about time!’”

“Even though they didn’t believe you were bi?”

“Well, Asa-chan was the one that started it. The rest joined in once it settled in their thick skulls.” There was that ‘innocent’ grin again. “Asa-chan was real happy about it. I told him to keep it a secret.”

If it was possible to be a physical personification of a sigh, Ennoshita was going to turn into one any minute now. “You’re not going to tell him the truth?”

“No way. You know how he gets. He’ll start overthinking about how we’re lying to the others, and he’ll go on some weird guilt spiral about it.”

“You should take a page from his book, Tanaka. Lies beget lies. Did you learn nothing from ‘Aladdin’?”

“You want me to feed you or not?”

“…I never said I wasn’t going along with it.”

Tanaka replied with an amused snort before a comfortable silence fell over them, and Ennoshita’s mind drifted with the scenery (slowly) rolling by again. _Should I get a car?_ he wondered absently; he didn’t really need one, the train got him to work just fine. Maybe a scooter instead- Nah, that would take too long. What if he cut something from his morning routine? No, that wouldn’t work, he wanted to start going to the gym again-

“They’re gonna ask questions, right?” Tanaka asked, pulling him from his thoughts about gym memberships and avoiding awkward locker room smalltalk. “About how we got together and stuff?”

“Huh? Oh, right. Umm…” Ennoshita chewed on his lip, scenarios believable and otherwise playing in his mind like a bad romcom montage.

“So I’m thinking, we give ‘em a bunch of vague answers,” Tanaka started as he pulled up beside a car parked by the sidewalk, and the reminder that parallel parking was a thing buried Ennoshita’s thoughts of getting a car permanently. “Make it real mysterious. Leave ‘em guessing-”

“One week.”

“Huh?”

“We got together one week ago. It’s more believable, since we have no practice with this.”

Tanaka pouted as the car came to a halt - a look that always reminded Ennoshita of a bulldog, in all honesty. “You think we can’t get all lovey-dovey?”

“‘Lovey-dovey’ would be too obvious. And awkward.” A chilly breeze hit Ennoshita when he opened the car door. “Let’s just be ourselves.”

Tanaka gave an exaggerated _‘pffft’_ as he walked closer. “You mean, you always roasting me?”

“And you always causing me trouble,” Ennoshita quipped back.

“You got me there,” Tanaka snickered back. He rested his hand on Ennoshita’s shoulder blade, gesturing towards the restaurant. “Alright. You ready to be boyfriends, _babe_?”

Ennoshita couldn’t help the quirk of the corner of his lips. “Lead the way, _sweetie_.”

*

The ‘hole-in-the-wall’ was true to Tanaka’s description; it was a tight squeeze to walk down the aisle between the few booths and the fewer bar stools, and the decor - a tacky, zigzagged wallpaper with framed pictures and newspaper clippings pinned up in no particular order - was nothing to write home about.

But it was cozy, and the three familiar faces at the longer booth by the back wall eased the last of his urge to run back home to sit around in his underwear and shoot aliens.

Shimada waved them over, his other hand resting on Takinoue’s shoulder. “Hey, Ennoshita! It’s been a while!”

Ennoshita bowed slightly before sliding into the booth beside Ukai, and Tanaka followed suit. “Hello, Shimada-san. Takinoue-san, Ukai-san.”

“Took your time getting here, huh?” Shimada teased, a playful lilt skipping in his voice.

“I wonder what took them so long,” Takinoue chimed in, his tone dancing along.

Ennoshita was too distracted by the food already set on the table to be flustered. _That edamame looks good. Or should I start with fried tofu?_

Tanaka glanced from the empty seat across from him to Takinoue. “Where’s Asa-chan?”

Ennoshita yoinked the closed menu laying on the table in front of Ukai. “Isn’t he always late?”

“Not wasting any time on the food, huh?” Tanaka remarked, clicking his tongue. “Yeah, he’s always late, but not _this_ late.”

Ukai raised an amused brow at his stolen menu. “You know him. He meanders from place to place. He probably got sidetracked looking at birds or something.”

The conversation flowed like their drinks, from the obligatory, polite catch-up (How’s the market doing, How’s Karasuno’s team this year, Why did Ennoshita decide to become a therapist) to tales about work and Neighborhood Association practice (the kids in Tanaka’s gym class blackmailing him to play dodgeball, Takinoue getting tangled in the net, a customer that insisted on inspecting every single egg in the store).

And of course, sweet, sweet food at Tanaka’s expense. In the calm comfort of the company, Ennoshita had forgotten why he was there in the first place.

Twenty minutes later, Asahi sort of… floated in, with an airy stride and a pensive contentment curling his lips. He gave a distracted greeting as he took the empty spot beside Shimada.

“What’s got your head in the clouds?” Tanaka asked.

“Huh?” Asahi blinked out of his usual ‘lost in a daydream’ stupor, glancing around the table with a fresh awareness. “Oh! I…” It looked like he was about to drift off with his words again before he continued. “I ran into… an old acquaintance. Sort of.”

Ennoshita crossed his arms to rub them, the chill of the spring evening seeping into the restaurant as dusk settled outside the window. “How are they a ‘sort of’ acquaintance?”

“He, um… We knew each other, but we never really talked, I don't think.” Asahi had that look about him again, eyes set on Ennoshita but his gaze far away. “It was nice to talk to him.”

“Planning on getting to know him better?” Takinoue winked, cueing a chorus of snickering from Shimada and Ukai.

Ennoshita's attention was pulled away from Asahi’s sputtering by Tanaka’s voice peppered with concern. “You cold?”

Ennoshita shrugged. “Just a little.”

“Here.” Tanaka pulled off his jacket and handed it over.

“You don't need to-"

“Don't worry about it. It was too hot, anyway.”

Ennoshita wrapped it over his shoulders and wiggled his arms into the sleeves. The warmth was a sweet relief, the remnants of Tanaka’s heat as cozy as a blanket fresh out of the dryer. “Then why were you wearing it?”

“Cause it looks cool.”

“Does it look cool on me?”

“Pfft. With that Charlie Brown shirt? No way.” Tanaka reached over to fix the fold of the collar and smooth down the lapel, muttering something about a “fashion nightmare.”

All while blissfully unaware of the mischievous eyes watching them around the table.

“You two are really a thing, huh?” Shimada snickered.

“Huh?” Ennoshita blinked at Tanaka, not quite sure what Shimada was going on abou- Oh! ... _Oh._ Right. “Yeah! Yeah, that's… we're- we're a thing alright! Aha… ha...”

_Damn it._ He was the director, not the actor. _Why didn't I think this through?_ It was great and all that his common sense was returning to him after getting food, but he really could have used that two hours ago before getting himself into this mess. _This is what I get for skipping lunch._

It was silent for only a fraction of a second, but Ennoshita swore he could hear his heart stop beating; that was it, he’d blown their cover already, now there was no way Tanaka would pay to take him to a baseball game-

Takinoue’s barked laugh startled him. “Listen to him! In disbelief that all that pining finally paid off, huh?”

“Huh?!”

Shimada pushed up his glasses from the center as he snickered, the true image of a villain about to ruin the protagonist’s life with a single phrase. “We could all tell you had the biggest crush on Tanaka when you were in high school. We would take bets on how many times we could catch you checking him out during matches.”

“N-no, I didn't-" Ennoshita squeaked in pitiful defiance. Oh no, he could _feel_ Tanaka grinning-

“What was the record? Thirty-eight?” Takinoue chimed in.

“Thirty-nine,” Shimada corrected him. “It was when you were playing, too. It was impressive.”

“No, no, that's- It's because he was the ace, and I had to keep an eye on him because-"

“You were checking him out,” Ukai remarked so sharply it could stab him; it certainly felt like he was getting stabbed.

Asahi sighed dreamily, like a middle school girl watching a bad romance flick. “I'm so glad you guys finally got together.” _Et tu, Asahi-san?_

Tanaka was radiating smugness like an aura. “Aww, Ennoshita! You had a crush on me!” he had the audacity to sing-song.

Ennoshita hid his face in his hands, wishing in vain that he could vanish on the spot. “I was a hormonal teenager, and you refused to keep your shirt on-"

“You _liked_ me!”

Ennoshita sank into his seat, whining into his hands, the laughter around him echoing in his ears.

Tanaka was definitely an ocean of karma, Ennoshita’s penance for being a bratty toddler. In his next life, he’d never build sandcastles again. “I’m never going to hear the end of this, am I?”

“Nope!” Tanaka had the gall to wrap his arm over Ennoshita’s shoulders while he laughed at his expense.

Ennoshita had to admit, 16-year-old him would have swooned to hear that one day, he’d be sitting in a restaurant with Tanaka’s arm around him. Well, “swooning” was a bit much. It was more likely he would have muttered a _“Yes!”_ under his breath. Maybe a short fistpump where no one could see.

As for 24-year-old him in this predicament - well, there were certainly worse things than cozying up with a hot guy that was paying for his food. Even if said hot guy was a nuisance beyond compare.

“I’m heading out,” Ukai cut in, fiddling with his phone. “I’ve gotta get up early to help Ma.”

“Yeah, it’s getting pretty late.” Tanaka looked over at Ennoshita. “You wanna help with the bill?”

“Nope.”

*

The ride back was blissfully peaceful. Tanaka didn’t argue when Ennoshita picked the music, though the selection was limited. _What kind of archaic car still uses CD players?_ At least Tanaka had decent taste in music.

Asahi was mostly quiet, staring out the window, occasionally sighing dreamily. _Whoever he bumped into must have been incredibly hot,_ Ennoshita decided. That was the only explanation he could think of.

The real adventure was when Tanaka parked outside of Ennoshita’s apartment.

Ennoshita would have settled with thanking Tanaka for the night, maybe a “Text me when you get home,” for added effect, but… Asahi had that knowing smile, watching them expectantly. “I’ll wait here,” Asahi hummed.

Tanaka glanced at Ennoshita as if he had the answers before it clicked. “Huh? Oh- Oh, right! I’ll, uh, walk you to the door?”

_I can walk myself,_ Ennoshita was tempted to say. “Uh, sure.” _Is the food truly free if it comes at a price?_

Tanaka kept his hand on Ennoshita’s shoulder blade as they walked down the cement path. Tanaka grinned at him when they reached the door. “You know what comes next.”

“I give this back,” Ennoshita replied as he shimmied his arms out of the leather jacket.

Tanaka stepped closer as Ennoshita hurriedly unlocked the door. “And?”

“And... That’s it!” Ennoshita shoved the leather jacket directly in Tanaka’s face. “Good night!” he added quickly before shutting the door.

_I can’t avoid that forever, can I?_ Oh, if 16-year-old him only knew about this. _Do it for Past You, Chikara._ But not tonight - that was a problem for Future Ennoshita.

Present Ennoshita had more pressing matter to deal with - finally lounging in his underwear and shooting aliens until he was too tired to see the screen.

*

**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** aww babe ****  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** u liked me!  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**   (ʃƪ ˘ ³˘)

**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:**   I had bad taste

**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** uh huh sure  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**   deny it all u want  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** i forgive u  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**   (๛ ˘ ³˘)۶

**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:**   Tomorrow **  
** **[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:**   Baseball

**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** huh???  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**   u wanna go already????

**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:**   I’m milking this for all it’s worth

**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**   wait  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**   ur changing the subject  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** u liked me  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** u wanted to smooch me  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**   ( ˘ ³˘)♥  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** ennoshita come back  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**   ennoshita  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**   ennoshita  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** chikara  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**   chiiikaraaaaa  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** babe

**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:**   Read at 11:46 pm.

**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**   u cant just type that out!!!!!

**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:**   Hmmm  
**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:**   I feel peckish  
**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:**   Let’s go get a midnight snack

**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** im suddenly tired

**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:**   You’re changing the subject ;)

**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** im sleeping (∪｡∪) zZz

**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:**   Uh huh  
**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:**   Good night, Tanaka

**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**   good night  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**   ( ˘ ³˘)♥

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Oops I forgot to add at first: I want to keep Asahi's "sort of acquaintance" a surprise, but since surprises aren't everyone's thing: If you want to know, it's [this good boy](https://i.imgur.com/RvqE4FF.jpg).)
> 
> Updates will be a little slow to start, cause I want to have a surplus of chapters and I'll be p busy for the next two months. (I should have chapters posted within those two months, but no promises.) Hopefully by March I'll be able to update frequently. Until then, here's a few fic recs for you guys!
> 
> Some EnnoTana:  
> [And You'll Come Back to Me](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12649602/chapters/28827039) by [thepessimist](http://archiveofourown.org/users/thepessimist/pseuds/thepessimist) (They have a few other incredible EnnoTana fics, def go check them out!!)  
> [Shift](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12519524) by [Peskychloe](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Peskychloe/pseuds/Peskychloe)  
> [Freezing Heat series](http://archiveofourown.org/series/575596) by [ironically_human](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Ironically_human/pseuds/Ironically_human)  
> and I'm sure there's some more great fics in the tag! (I'm admittedly a bit behind ;;) If you find yourself searching the tag, go show some WIPs your support! The more love they get, the more likely they are to feel inspired and update more.


	3. disaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sixteen-year-old Ennoshita didn’t know how to feel about Tanaka, tried to repress his growing crush on someone that was nothing like him, terrified of how much “love” could hurt. Seventeen-year-old Ennoshita liked Tanaka so much, sometimes it was hard to breathe when he thought about him. Eighteen-year-old Ennoshita was still crazy about him, but he didn’t think much about it anymore - just liked being around him, enjoying his presence. Nineteen-year-old Ennoshita, hell, even 20-year-old Ennoshita still thought about him from time to time, the occasional dream or the little things that sparked memories, like seeing a favorite snack of his, or looking for his name on customized pens at stores out of habit.
> 
> Twenty-four-year-old Ennoshita had no issues whatsoever letting his hot friend take him out to a baseball game at his expense.

Growing older was - for lack of better, more exciting words - interesting.

It was more the mental part than the physical part. Sure, the physical part was intriguing in its own way; he  _ felt _ the same as he did when he was 17 - up until he thought about doing the dumb things Tanaka and Noya used to drag him into. Like climbing over a fence to trespass into some abandoned house. One of those supposedly haunted ones with furniture in unusual arrangements, and railings with at least three layers of dust, and those creepy paintings where it looks like the eyes follow him as he passes. 

And then hauling ass at full speed when something floats in their peripheral vision. And after Tanaka’s shirt catches on the fence as they hurriedly jump back over, and he lands on his face with a glorious thud, they notice a curtain billowing in a broken window from outside. And Tanaka and Noya swearing up and down that they see a face in the window, and that must be what they saw floating, but the rational part of Ennoshita finally seeping back into his skull knows they’re only seeing it because they’re desperate to see something cool, but Ennoshita doesn’t tell them otherwise because he secretly loves their excitement when they retell the story. At least for the first seven or so times, anyway.

Ennoshita may have felt 17, but he was exhausted just recalling the memory. Besides, he knew full well that he’d struggle to climb over that fence again. And he’d probably be the one landing on his face. And he wouldn’t have the energy or enthusiasm to bother moving after that; he’d accept his defeat and wait on the cold, hard ground and stare up at the night sky while Tanaka and Noya probably fell out of a window. 

That was part of what made the concept of growing up mentally fascinating, though. Seventeen-year-old him would have panicked while they tumbled, and he’d beat himself up for not babysitting them. 

Twenty-four-year-old him would have shrugged his shoulders tiredly, and muttered a “Eh, they’ll probably survive.”

Baseball was like that to him. Well. Sort of. In some weird, roundabout way. 

Eight-year-old him was  _ obsessed _ with baseball. He’d daydream for hours about being a professional player, about being the hero that saved the game to win a championship. He had it all planned out: bottom of the ninth inning, his team on the defensive, and he’s in the outfield. Two outs, two strikes, two points ahead - but the bases are loaded, and he can see the pressure tensing up the pitcher from yards away. The pitcher throws a ball - it’s fast, but it goes straight to the bat, and the ball flies towards the outfield wall. 

The cool part would always play in slow motion in his mind - Ennoshita runs over to the ball, his arm outstretched as he jumps so high that people speak about it for years to come, and the ball lands gracefully in his glove. The referee yells a dramatic “Out!”, and his teammates pick him up on their shoulders while the crowd chants his name. He makes the front page in newspapers all across Japan. His pictures are all flattering and taken from his best angles.

Ten-year-old him loved baseball, loved his little league team, loved his position on the outfield. But it was… kinda boring. Waiting around for the pitch, the ball rarely flying his way, and he missed his catches all but once. He tried all the positions, but nothing stuck. Instead of hours spent daydreaming, he spent hours over-analyzing the pros and cons of every aspect of baseball, and hours more overthinking about his dwindling affection for the thing he loved most in the whole world besides his dog. 

Eleven-year-old him tried volleyball on a whim, and it clicked. 

With the new sport came new unnecessarily dramatic worries, stages of guilt and regret. He loved watching baseball, he loved playing volleyball, so which was most important? Was he a traitor? Would he go to Baseball Hell when he passed, missing catches on the outfield for eternity while demons in volleyball jerseys jeered, like the dreams that made him shoot out of bed in a cold sweat?

Sixteen-year-old him had forgotten about Preteen Chikara’s moral dilemma, except for the rare nights in bed when he laughed to himself about it because his mind was running circles instead of resting. How was something so ridiculous ever a big deal?

At 24, he knew full well why it was a big deal at the time, and that was one of the many reasons he loved psychology - the brain developed at a fascinating rate in such a short span of time. Concepts that made no sense at 12 made perfect sense at 13. Behaviors that didn’t seem so bad to 16-year-old him made 20-year-old him cringe and worry for the youth. Twenty-four-year-old him loved baseball and volleyball alike without a second thought. 

His old crush was another reminder, to him, about how much a young adult changed and relaxed as their mind rapidly developed. 

Sixteen-year-old Ennoshita didn’t know how to feel about Tanaka, tried to repress his growing crush on someone that was nothing like him, terrified of how much “love” could hurt. Seventeen-year-old Ennoshita liked Tanaka so much, sometimes it was hard to breathe when he thought about him. Eighteen-year-old Ennoshita was still crazy about him, but he didn’t think much about it anymore - just liked being around him, enjoying his presence. Nineteen-year-old Ennoshita, hell, even 20-year-old Ennoshita still thought about him from time to time, the occasional dream or the little things that sparked memories, like seeing a favorite snack of his, or looking for his name on customized pens at stores out of habit.

Twenty-four-year-old Ennoshita had no issues whatsoever letting his hot friend take him out to a baseball game at his expense. 

“This is boring,” Tanaka drawled, leaning back on the stadium seat with his legs propped up on the empty seat in front of him. That was the beauty of watching games on weekdays; only the hardcore fans and the occasional straggler showed up. And there was usually that one diehard fan that would absolutely lose her mind at least five times per game - either cheering louder than the lit-up scoreboard playing cheesy songs whenever a new batter stepped up to the plate, or pulling her hair and jeering at the players at any bad play. She reminded Ennoshita of that old guy that would show up at the Karasuno games and heckle them from the bleachers. 

“You can entertain yourself by getting me a frozen lemonade.”

Tanaka kicked his feet off the back of the seat before getting up. “Alright.”

“Huh?”

“‘Huh’ what?”

Ennoshita blinked up at him. “I didn’t think you’d agree.” 

Tanaka shrugged, and Ennoshita made a mental note at how that cool leather jacket complimented his shoulders. “I promised food, didn’t I?” 

“I almost feel guilty,” Ennoshita mused to himself, watching the cool jacket disappear past the bleachers. Twenty-one-year-old him certainly would have felt guilty. Twenty-four-year-old him really wanted frozen lemonade. 

Alright, he felt a tiny bit guilty. But if Tanaka was willing to buy him something off of a tease, well, clearly Tanaka wasn’t giving that - or the blackmail to go to the baseball game - a second thought. He felt guiltier that the game was, well... boring. The home team had an overwhelming lead, and as great as that was for Ennoshita, it lacked that excitement that would have him losing his mind like the woman five aisles down. 

“I saw that yawn.” Tanaka plopped back down beside him, holding out the carton with a flimsy, wooden paddle-spoon laid on top, and another spoon tucked between his fingers. “Why do you like baseball if you just yawn through it?”

“Because it’s a game of intense strategy and skill. And the other team could turn this around in a single inning.” Unlikely; they weren’t exactly known for their offense. Or defense. But Ennoshita wasn’t going to point that out - he had a point to make. “Those are the best games.”

“You’re the kind of person that watches movie credits in case they have some cheesy extra thing after, huh?” 

“What’s wrong with that?!” Ennoshita glared at the extra spoon in Tanaka’s ready hand. “You’re planning on sharing?”

“You can’t eat all that by yourself.”

Ennoshita met his eyes, expressionless as he peeled the top off the carton. 

“Alright, maybe you can.” Tanaka scraped off the top of the frozen lemonade anyway, avoiding Ennoshita’s piercing gaze. “I’m doing you a favor. Saving you from indigestion. You can thank me later.”

“I never asked for your help.”

“Don’t you get a sick stomach if you even think about sugar?” 

“So?”

“Why must you tempt fate?

Ennoshita snorted. “I choose my own destiny.”

“Yeah, a destiny on the toilet.” Tanaka bit down on the spoon to free his hands and shuffle out of his jacket. “This damn thing is too hot.”

“Wanna trade?” Ennoshita was willing to sacrifice the perfect warmth of his hoodie to look almost cool for a whole 45 minutes. And the residual heat was pretty cozy last time, in all honesty.

Tanaka leaned forward so Ennoshita could pluck the jacket from between him and the seat. “If you like this thing so much, why not get one of your own?” 

Ennoshita shimmied his arms out of his hoodie sleeves to hand it over. “Tanaka. Do you honestly think I could pull off this look?”

“You got a point.” 

The hoodie proved Ennoshita wrong on one thing: Tanaka couldn’t pull off any color or look after all. But the stark difference between the ripped jeans, the black Queen shirt, and the baby blue hoodie was, well, sort of cute in its own way. It had that “domesticated bad boy” feel. Oh, if only he could send 15-year-old Ennoshita pictures. 

It would have been too much for 15-year-old Ennoshita, honestly. If Tanaka was hot before, time only did him favors. Time sharpened his jaw, contoured his cheekbones, and did some sort of unexplainable magic to his already enchanting, easy smile. Sure, time was good to Ennoshita, too. But Tanaka didn’t  _ need _ that extra attractiveness. Time could have thrown more of that in Ennoshita’s direction, but nope, instead Ennoshita had to suffer around his hot friend getting insufferably hotter. 

At least his friend was nice to look at. Silver lining.

The leather jacket was definitely too hot for the spring evening, especially with the lingering heat - Tanaka was always hot. Not just metaphorically. He’d make a great personal space heater for some lucky bastard in the winters, that was for sure. “How do I look?” Ennoshita asked, tugging on the sides to even it out.

“With those pink stripes?” Tanaka gave a low whistle. “Watch out, ladies and gentlemen, Ennoshita Chikara is here to make you swoon.”

“Nobody is safe from us bisexual bachelors.” 

“I thought you were gay?”

Ennoshita scraped up a scoop of frozen bliss, musing on Tanaka’s choice of pink lemonade. Of course he’d go for pink; he probably fell for that whole ‘pink makes it sweeter’ scam. “Whenever Kanoka-chan uploads a picture on Facebook, I have an identity crisis.”

“You’re a man of refined tastes,” Tanaka hummed back. And gave Ennoshita that Look again. “Ever since high school-”

“Remember your obsession with Shimizu?” Ennoshita cut in swiftly, like a samurai’s katana, defeating Tanaka with a single blow.

Growing up was a funny, fascinating thing. Sixteen-year-old Tanaka thought his loudly - and constantly - declared devotion to Shimizu was his proudest, most defining characteristic.

Twenty-five-year-old Shimizu absolutely delighted in reminding him. The truest form of cold, merciless revenge.

Tanaka groaned, pained, clutching his chest. “Why d’ya gotta bring that up?” His embarrassed whine was music to Ennoshita’s ears.

“Remember when you first saw her-”

“Nope.”

“-and you proposed-”

_ “Nope.” _ Tanaka crossed his arms in front of his chest, pouting with the spoon sticking out of his mouth. “...She’s still a goddess.”

“Another source of the occasional bisexual crisis.”

Tanaka leaned over to scrape up another spoonful of lemonade shavings. “I’d be disappointed in you if she wasn’t.”

“We couldn’t have that now, could we?” Ennoshita replied before humming contently around his spoon. 

On its way back to the lemonade, Tanaka’s hand paused, instead wiggling the spoon back and forth between his fingers absently with his elbow taking up the armrest between them. 

Ennoshita glanced at Tanaka from the corner of his eye in time to catch him looking his way, his gaze as distracted as his hand. “Is there something on my face?”

Tanaka whipped his head toward the field, his hand stilling and the spoon coming to a halt. “Nope.”

“Is something wrong?”

The spoon began its dance again. “You look way too happy when you’re eating.”

“You’re just watching me eat?!”

“You’re cute when you’re eating!” 

Ennoshita coughed at the chunk of lemonade melting in his throat. “Cute?!”

There was that cheeky curl of Tanaka’s lips. “...Like a hamster.”

Ennoshita threw his smirk back at him. “Then why did you name your old hamster ‘Shouyo’ instead of ‘Chikara’?”

Tanaka’s cheekiness slipped away quicker than the pitch striking out the batter at the plate, replaced by that ridiculous pout. “You know damn well why.”

“Mhm. Someone had a favorite kouhai.”

“He- he was cute, alright!”

“So you like ‘them younger, hm?” Ennoshita teased.

“He’s only three months younger than me!”

“Oh, right. I forgot you were the baby of the group.”

Tanaka kicked his feet back up on the seat in front of him. “You’re only two months older than me, Gramps.”

“That’s no way to talk to your seniors.”

Tanaka stuck his tongue out at him. “You’re just jealous of my spritely youth.” 

After a few more playful jabs, the conversation slowed to a comfortable lull. Tanaka asked about a baseball rule or what a position was called from time to time, with the occasional remark about a player’s rear. He seemed particularly fond of #18. Ennoshita readily agreed.

The satisfying clack whenever the batter struck the ball, the leather jacket too hot and a smidge too tight around his shoulders, Tanaka leaning forward in his seat whenever the pitcher took his stance on the mound…

Sharing snacks, the sleeves of his baby blue hoodie a little too long on Tanaka, Tanaka’s shoulder warm against his when he leaned over to ask something…

_ Almost feels like a- _

“Kinda feels like a date.” It took Tanaka’s mind two heavy seconds to catch up to his words. “I-I mean! Cause it’s- it’s like-”

“Because it’s just us two,” Ennoshita cut in for him. Though it was tempting to watch him squirm some more. “You did that thing again.”

“What thing- You mean the mindreading thing?” 

“Mhm.” Ennoshita crushed the empty lemonade carton and shoved it in the cupholder opposite of Tanaka. “It’s too bad nobody we know is here to see us. It would drive home the ‘fake boyfriends’ thing.”

“Oh, my dear, sweet Chikara. With technology, anything is possible.” Tanaka reached over to shuffle through the pocket of the jacket Ennoshita was wearing, ignoring Ennoshita blinking at him in confusion. “Tada!” He pinched his phone between his thumb and middle finger to hold it near Ennoshita’s face. “We just gotta snap a few pics.”

“You’re not posting pictures of us, Tanaka.”

“Why not?!”

“Because the more people that think we’re dating, the messier it gets.” It was probably going to be a disaster regardless; they hadn’t discussed, well, anything. How long were they going to do this? They only needed to keep the charade up for two or three weeks, didn’t they? How were they going to “end” it? How far were they going to bother taking it?

If the small handful of people that “knew” they were dating - most that Ennoshita wasn’t even particularly close with - were playing the ‘It’s about time’ card… He didn’t want to think about how their other friends would react. Quite frankly, he didn’t want to think about anything. Twenty-four-year-old Ennoshita was planning on surviving this poorly planned ordeal by floating through on the lack of fucks he gave. 

Bless aging for granting him sweet, sweet nonchalance. 

“Just one selfie of us together. It’ll be nice and subtle.” Tanaka pouted that bulldog pout again. “Please?” 

Ennoshita jokingly rolled his eyes. “Fine.” 

Tanaka scooted over closer and held up his phone, tilting it to get them in the frame, and Ennoshita slung his arm over Tanaka’s shoulder to hold up a peace sign. 

Tanaka snapped the pic, and then stole another. “Damn, we’re a hot couple.”

“It must be because of my impeccable style.” 

“Uh huh. That and my flowing locks.” Tanaka flipped his imaginary hair over his shoulder.

Ennoshita snorted. “A true power couple. Here, let’s take one more.”

Tanaka held the camera back into position. 

Watching the camera from the corner of his eye, Ennoshita pressed his lips to Tanaka’s cheek. Tanaka’s faux-shocked face was more ridiculous than any emoji; he certainly looked like an emoji sometimes. 

Tanaka snapped the pic. “So much for playing it subtle, huh?”

“Well, don’t upload that one.” Ennoshita leaned over Tanaka’s shoulder to get a good look at the pic. It must have been colder than he realized, he considered as he noted the pink painting his cheeks; the cold had a habit of making him look like he was poorly experimenting with makeup. He’d been called out for it once, too. By a stranger. At a train station. Loudly. If he could choose a memory to bleach from his mind, there was a strong chance it would be that one. “Keep it in case of… I don’t know. In case of whatever.”

“I’m making this my wallpaper after I upload the first one.”

“Why your wallpaper?!”

Tanaka tapped at the Facebook icon on his phone. “Gotta have my boyfriend as my wallpaper. It’s the law.” 

“Oh, right. How could I forget.” 

The groan echoing across the bleachers drew their attention away, down to the woman pulling at her hair and shouting “Oh, come on!” - and a dash expletives for flavor.

Eight-year-old Ennoshita’s dream scenario awaited their view on the field. Bottom of the ninth, a player of the rival team at each base, the home team’s pitcher stiff with the weight of the game on his shoulders. 

On the one hand, this was the outfielder’s chance to shine; one fly ball in his glove, and he’d be the hero. The crowd would cheer - what little there was of the crowd, anyway - and then his teammates would pat him on the back. The newspapers might mention his name, if the weekday, early-season game was written in any articles. ….Overall, a slight bit less dramatic than eight-year-old Ennoshita imagined. But still pretty cool.

On the other hand, though… One lucky hit - or unlucky, in the home team’s case - and the overwhelming gap from the first three innings would have been… It would have been a cautionary tale about the consequences of letting their guard down. A reminder that the unexpected was always there, creeping to the home plate from the edges of the outfield of possibility one batter at a time. 

The batter held up his weapon, ready for the onslaught, ready to swing.

The pitcher threw the ball faster than any of Oikawa’s servers with a force that rivalled Ushijima’s spikes, a spear to pierce through the batter’s defenses.

The batter… held the bat horizontally in front of him, the ball knocking off of it anticlimactically and bouncing off the grass to roll lazily into the infield.

_ A bunt?! _ A daring move, too much risk that it could send the ball straight to the pitcher or first base-

Or, apparently, the pitcher could trip over his own feet as he ran toward it, and the first baseman could trip over  _ him, _ and the ball could roll away as the second baseman struggled to catch it, all while the rival players practically sauntered their way to the home plate. 

Ennoshita and Tanaka shot out of their seats, shouting in unison, “Oh, come  _ on _ !” 

This wasn't “the unexpected”.

This was a straight up disaster. 

Ennoshita ran his hands down his cheeks as he plopped down into his seat, feeling like a groan personified as the whistle blew to call the rival team’s victory. 

“Look on the bright side - you were right. The other team did turn it around.” Tanaka leaned on the back of the seat in front of him, sitting on its edge. “Gotta admit… That was pretty cool at the end.”

A lopsided smile crept up on Ennoshita’s lips. “Are you saying you’re a fan now?”

“Pfft. I wouldn’t go that far. But… it could be fun to do this again sometime.”

The disaster was a victory in its own way, Ennoshita supposed. “We should come when it’s busy. You’d love the crowd.” 

Tanaka flashed him that unfairly attractive grin. “Sounds like a plan.”

*

Seventeen-year-old Ennoshita would have never believed if someone from the future told him that Tanaka would have a car and he wouldn’t, and he definitely wouldn’t believe if someone told him he’d enjoy having Tanaka drive him around. 

The post-game exhaustion struck him as soon as his ass hit the seat, and he used up the last of his energy struggling out of the leather jacket because he was too lazy to lean forward to pull it off of his back. Tanaka didn’t mind his sleepy silence; he filled it by humming along to the radio. And he only cussed at other drivers three times.

“Thank you for today.” Ennoshita said as he opened the car door. 

“Anytime, honey~” Tanaka puckered his lips.

Ennoshita stepped outside.

Tanaka clutched his chest. “You’re breaking my heart, Chikara.” 

“You’ll live,” Ennoshita replied with a smirk.

“Hope you’re ready to get all lovey-dovey next week. The guys will probably wanna hang out after practice again.”

“Give me a warning before showing up this time.”

“I’ll consider it.”

“So generous.” Ennoshita pat the car door. “Good night, Tanaka.”

“Night, Cupcake.”

“Please never call me that again.”

* 

**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**  so   
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**  uh   
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**  we   
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**  got   
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**  a   
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**  problem   
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**  (´□｀;)

**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:**  What did you do this time? (;¬_¬)   
  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**  wut makes u think i did something (´^｀)

**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:**  Because it’s you (;¬____¬) 

**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**  alright fair enough   
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**  u kno those pics we took?

**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:**  Tanaka…….   
**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:**  What. Did. You. Do. 

**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**  i   
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**  sorta   
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**  maybe   
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**  accidentally   
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**  uploaded the wrong 1 (´□`」 ∠)   
  


Ennoshita shot out of bed, a rush of adrenaline fueling his dash to his laptop. 

A disaster greeted him when he opened his browser.

There, in all it’s terrible glory, was the cheek-smooch selfie they took together. 

Ennoshita kissing Tanaka’s cheek, the traded jackets, the- oh, hell, that wasn’t the cold, he was  _ blushing- _

There was only one way to interpret that pic.

And apparently, everyone that he and Tanaka had ever known certainly agreed. 

It had more Likes than Ennoshita had followers, and the comments - oh, the comments were a nightmare beyond compare, enough variations of  _ “Congratulations,” “It’s about time,” _ and  _ “I knew it,” _ that Ennoshita would have been impressed if he wasn’t absolutely horrified. 

But the worst part… Oh, the most horrific by far… 

Was how sweet his mother’s comment was.

_ “Finally!! You two look so happy together. Give my son a hug for me, Ryuu-kun. xoxo” _   
  


**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:**  ……….

**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**  i got distracted cuz the game got cool!!!! ＼(´□｀;)/

**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:**  ……………

**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**  if i buy u ice cream do u promise not to murder me

**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:**  Food can't save you now

**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**  ...wut if it has sprinkles?   
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**  pink sprinkles   
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**  ...like ur blush

**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:**  ……………………..

**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**  plz have mercy on me

**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:**  You're not worth going to jail over

**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:**  i knew u loved me  ( ˘ ³˘)

**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:**  On second thought   
**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:**  It would save me a lot of trouble…

  
Nineteen-year-old Ennoshita should have studied time travel instead of psychology. Or critical thinking. Or anything that would have reminded him that eating lunch was important, otherwise he’d be easily bribed into making terrible decisions that 24-year-old him couldn’t float on through by nonchalance alone.    
  


**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:**  We need to talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS!!! [THE ENNOTANA ZINE IS HERE!!!!!](https://ennotanazine.tumblr.com/post/169073733384/snapshots-an-ennotana-fanzine-is-now-available) It's a free pdf, and all of the works are absolutely incredible!!! It was such an honor to not only be a part of it, but to work with Starlity! Their art truly left me breathless (and occasionally sobbing under my desk). 
> 
> [Please check it out for a bunch of amazing EnnoTana content!!](https://ennotanazine.tumblr.com/post/169073733384/snapshots-an-ennotana-fanzine-is-now-available)


	4. tactile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe keeping up the charade for their sake wouldn’t be so bad. Just for a little while.
> 
> Besides - there was that whole free food thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uh I forgot a sort of plot hole thing; it's highly unlikely Ennoshita could be a therapist by age 24. But let's pretend otherwise. It can be our little secret
> 
> Also, some cool things that my friend [Ziba](http://archiveofourown.org/users/ziba) pointed out: Couples in japan will often still call each other by their surnames, especially around other people. And someone pining will write their crush's name under a drawn umbrella in hopes of sharing one some day. (At least, I'm pretty sure that's how it goes, and google is telling me it's not wrong, but please correct me if I misunderstood!)

Tanaka had always been… touchy. Not in the irritable sense- well, alright, he was kind of irritable. Or at least, easy to set off. If the person setting him off was a stranger that looked in his general direction, anyway. 

Tanaka was touchy in the “what is personal space” sense. Tactile. Arms slung over shoulders, friendly punches, zero hesitation hugs. He grabbed Asahi’s hand to drag him to show him something once and forgot to let go, and he didn’t seem to think anything of it. Asahi didn’t even seem to notice. Must have been a side effect of being Tanaka’s roommate. 

Initially, Ennoshita didn’t know what to think of it. Not that the friends he had junior high were withdrawn, but Tanaka was a whole new level. It was on the obnoxiously difficult side when his crush first developed - difficult in both the “Oh god, am I blushing, I hope I’m not blushing” sense and the “I feel so guilty for enjoying this” sense. But after a few months, it was… routine. He didn’t think anything of it, even if he was crushing hard. It was just... there. A part of his daily life. Wake up, eat breakfast, go to practice, have Tanaka cling to him like a koala, go to class, et cetera et cetera.

It rubbed off on him a bit, too; thankfully Narita and Kinoshita were conditioned by Tanaka the same way, because Ennoshita found himself resting his head on their shoulders or letting his hugs linger more than a few times.

If Ennoshita had to guess, Tanaka’s clinginess would be why everyone and their mothers - or at least,  _ his _ mother - were on the “It’s about time” train. Tanaka was always within two feet of him, usually touching him one way or another. (Noya was tactile, too, though he couldn't exactly sling his arm over anyone's shoulder. He was more of a "launch himself at top speed toward someone's abdomen" sort of guy.)

But Tanaka was like that with  _ everyone. _ Especially his roommate. He and Asahi had movie nights where they cuddled up, and he’d pet Asahi’s hair to soothe him on a bad day, and sometimes they shared a bed if one of them had a nightmare. 

But for some inexplicable reason that was more obscure than the ending to an overrated 80’s anime, Ennoshita was the target of everyone’s bets.

“You realize this is why we’re in the mess we’re in now, right?” 

Tanaka looked up at Ennoshita from his head’s spot on Ennoshita’s lap. “Whaddya mean?” 

“I mean this.” Ennoshita wiggled his leg, bobbing Tanaka’s head with it. 

“I can’t help it. You got comfy thighs.”

“Thanks, I think.” Ennoshita leaned back on the couch, sinking into it a bit. Tanaka’s couch was ridiculously comfortable, a cloud made of polyester bought from a second-hand store. Ennoshita had fallen asleep sitting on it more than once. 

There was something cozy about the apartment Tanaka and Asahi shared. Each room was small with mismatched furniture, the rugs had seen better days, there were cracks in the cabinets and stains on the counters - it felt like, well, a home. Natural, casual, a reminder that home was a place to relax and not another aspect of life to fret over. 

Ennoshita liked to visit sometimes on a whim, taking a train to Tanaka’s place after work instead of his own and borrowing a pair of shorts to lounge around in. But today, he was there for business. “You know we have to talk about the fake dating, right?”

Tanaka turned to his side to watch the screen. “I was hoping if we avoid the problem, it would go away.” 

“You’re too optimistic for this cruel world.” He lowered his arms, resting one on his leg and the other on Tanaka’s chest. There was a pinch of guilt for blocking Tanaka’s view with the controller and forcing him to scoot up, but his arms were too tired to hold it up anymore. Shooting aliens comfortably was his priority. “What should we do?”

“I was thinking that… maybe... you could figure all that out?” Tanaka flashed him that guilty grin, like a child lying about hiding cookies behind his back.

“Why am I not surprised?” With a well placed shot, the alien on the screen crumpled... and clipped through the snow covered ground. Of all the maps in the terrible game, the ice planet was the worst for its glitches. And its overwhelming size. And its boring sidequests. And its dumb ‘if the player stays out of the vehicle for too long they’ll freeze’ mechanic. But Ennoshita just couldn’t stop playing. Thank Playstation for Cloud-based saves - shooting aliens would probably be the key to keeping his sanity in check for the next hour. 

“Should we… Should we call it quits?” Tanaka asked quietly. “Fess up, or say it didn't work, or something?”

_ Hm. _ That would have been the easiest route. Make some Facebook post saying thanks for the support, but they decided to be friends instead. 

Everyone being so happy about it, though. They’d received more than a few texts congratulating them, with excited questions and requests for double dates. (Screenshotting them to send to each other had become a game, admittedly. Who would get the most enthusiastic text? So far, Tanaka was winning; Saeko’s excessive emojis would be hard to beat.) 

Maybe keeping up the charade for their sake wouldn’t be so bad. Just for a little while.

Besides - there was that whole free food thing.

“I think… I think we should have fun with it,” Ennoshita replied. “We can play along for a little while, then tell them it didn’t work out once their interest wears off.” 

“So you’re thinking we should roll with it till everyone’s had their fun?”

“I guess that’s one way to put it, yeah.” Ennoshita muttered something about ‘garbage snipers’ as the Game Over screen flashed. “We should smooth out the details.”

They discussed the basics: how they got together (“We were flirting and decided to give it a shot,” despite Tanaka’s insistence for something dramatic), when they got together (Tanaka picked out not only a specific date, but also the specific time, for “anniversary celebrations, what are we doing for our two weeks, babe?”), and then, the inevitable - 

“So, how much PDA are you thinking? Holding hands? Sitting on laps? Sloppy makeout sessions in front of everyone while they chant,” Tanaka raised the pitch of his voice, “‘It’s about time!’” 

Ennoshita snorted. “Just… act how you usually act.” If Tanaka was tactile enough for ‘act like yourself’ equating to ‘fooling people into thinking we’re into each other’, there wouldn’t be much need for anything else. “If we hold hands sometimes, that should be more than enough.”

“You say ‘let’s have fun with it’, but you’re being a real killjoy,” Tanaka teased.

“Holding hands is fun.” And nice. Really nice. A personal favorite of his; a release of oxytocin to his brain, a warm hand in his, with a dash of showing affection off to the world. There was a psychology behind the body language that fascinated him, too. From a loose grip that could mean little to no attraction, from a too-tight grip to assert dominance, to intertwined fingers that meant a deep bond. 

_ How would Tanaka hold my hand? _

“So, uh…” Tanaka hooked his arm over Ennoshita’s still resting on his chest, “how long should we do this?”

“Hm.” Ennoshita ran the options through his mind, and the pros and cons of each. Ending too soon would leave their ‘audience’ unsatisfied with the show. But how soon was ‘too soon’? What effect would it have if the song and dance went on for too long? How long was ‘too long’? What if he-

“Welcome home, Asa-chan!”

“Ryuu-kun. Ennoshita-kun.” Asahi greeted them with a smile. A sort of… floaty smile, that distant gaze in his eyes again.

“There’s leftover pizza on the counter,” Tanaka said.

“No, thank you. I already ate,” Asahi replied with a dreamy sigh. Either the food was phenomenal, or-

“Had a good date, huh?” Tanaka teased. 

Asahi’s smile grew.

“Details, Asa-chan! Gimme the hot gossip!”

“How cute is he?” Ennoshita chimed in. 

“He’s so cute,” Asahi sighed again as he plopped down into the armchair beside the couch. “Ennoshita… Is it… Is it bad to like someone too soon?”

Ennoshita paused the game and put the controller aside. “Are you asking from a psychological perspective?” 

Asahi scratched the back of his neck as he nodded, his smile apologetic. “Sorry if that’s a dumb question, you don’t need to…”

“No, no. It’s not dumb at all.”  _ He’s really worried about this. _ If there was one thing Ennoshita learned about someone finishing a statement with ‘Sorry if it’s dumb’ or ‘I don’t know’, both from career experience and otherwise, it was that the phrases tacked on were a defense mechanism - a shield to protect themselves from ridicule over something important to them. “If he stopped talking to you right now, how do you think it would make you feel?”

Asahi tilted his head as he considered, pensive as he chewed his lip. “I’d be sad. Well, really sad.”

“For how long?”

Asahi fiddled with his fingers, running his thumb over his knuckles. “About… a week? Maybe even two or three?”

“That’s good. That’s important. When someone’s infatuated, they think they’re madly in love right from the start.” Infatuation was like lightning - instantaneous, intense, dangerous, and gone as quickly as it struck. Real love was a calm fire in a fireplace, burning at a steady pace, always adding wood to the flame to keep it blazing. “An infatuated couple might make poor choices because they think they’re in love, like moving in together after a month or two. An extreme example, but it’s been known to happen.”

“That’s… No, it’s not like that. I just…” Asahi did that dreamy sigh again, “I like him a lot.” 

_ How hot is this guy? _ He was probably about as hot as Tanaka, Ennoshita decided, glancing down at said hot guy resting his head on his lap. Pretend or not, he had to admit, he was feeling pretty lucky; there had to be a dozen or more people wishing they were in his spot right now. 

It wasn’t just the looks, either; Tanaka was sweet, earnest, spontaneous, surprisingly wise, caring, fun - the list went on and on. He had it all. Ennoshita wasn’t sure if he was jealous or impressed. Probably both.

“So, when are you bringing Prince Charming over? He’s gotta meet the family.” Tanaka curled his fingers around Ennoshita’s wrist, a hesitant pause before he caressed his thumb over it. 

If there was any time to start that whole extra-PDA thing, this would be it, Ennoshita supposed. 

But now that it was happening, he wasn’t so sure he was ready for it. 

Tanaka was always tactile, and sure, sometimes it was gentle. But it was never… thought out. Tanaka did it all without thinking. This...  _ deliberate _ touch… Ennoshita felt embers glowing in his chest, the simple caress of a thumb stoking an old warmth. 

This whole “fake dating” thing might not be so bad. 

It had been a while since he’d been in a relationship. He missed cuddling. 

And the food was a definite plus.

“Oi. Earth to Ennoshita.” Tanaka squeezed his wrist. “You alright, space case?”

Ennoshita blinked down at him. “Hm? Oh, yeah.” 

Asahi tilted his head like a confused puppy. “You’re still calling each other by your surnames? Not- Not that that’s- I just thought, with you two-”

“Old habit,” Tanaka covered up quickly. 

“You use ‘Chikara’ sometimes.” When he wanted something. It usually triggered Ennoshita’s defenses. Sometimes his fight or flight response, too. That bit depended on if Nishinoya was involved or not. Especially ever since that ‘surprise trip’ a few years back. He still had nightmares. “Hm. Ryuu… Ryuu…” he did the whole cliche testing the name on his tongue. Not like he didn’t spend evenings as a helpless, pining teenager sighing ‘Ryuunosuke’ and writing his name in the margins of his notebooks when he should have been studying. And promptly scribbling over them. And he may or may not have written his name under an umbrella doodle a few times in hopes of sharing a real one someday. But it had been a good five years since indulging in those whimsies. 

Ryuu’s name had always had a nice ring to it. It reminded him of cotton candy - sweet, rolling on his tongue easily, and a little bit addictive. 

“Chikara~” Tanaka sing-songed back, grinning up at him. “I like when you say my name.”

Ennoshita poked his cheek with his other hand. “You’re embarrassing.”

“Yeah, well you’re-” The buzz of Tanaka’s phone rattling on the table drew their attention. Tanaka reached for it lazily with the hand not curled around Ennoshita’s wrist, putting in too much effort extending his arm instead of getting up, and nearly falling in the process. “It’s Noya.” 

He tilted the screen in Ennoshita’s direction to show a text with far too many exclamation points, and a few question marks thrown in to spice things up. Somewhere hidden within the abundance of punctuation - like an encrypted message or a long lost language that Ennoshita could mostly decipher thanks to years of unfortunate experience - was an offer to hang out. 

“Whaddya think?” Tanaka asked. “Mall on Wednesday?”

“So that’s what that word there is.” More glaringly painful than the excessive exclamation points was the clock above them. “I need to be going.” 

“You can’t stay longer? We can have a sleepover.” Tanaka pouted that charmingly dumb bulldog pout, and between that and the warmth on his lap and arm, Ennoshita was tempted to cave into Tanaka’s plea.

“Not this time. I have an early appointment tomorrow.” He regretfully untangled his arm from Tanaka’s, the resulting cold adding insult to injury. Playing this awful space game was infinitely more fun with Tanaka there to laugh at his deaths and keep his lap warm. “I’m going to need my legs back,” he added, bouncing his leg for emphasis.

Tanaka obliged, but not without a grumble, sitting up with that ridiculous pout plastered to his face. “Alright, alright. I’ll drive ya home.” He stood up and offered his hand to Ennoshita.

Ennoshita took the offer without thinking, reaching for Tanaka’s hand like he had a thousand times before. Tanaka was always touchy, always offering his hand, always helping others up. 

He hadn’t anticipated Tanaka to hold his hand gently, to let it linger, to pull him up slowly, to pull him in too close. 

Ennoshita sucked in a sharp breath, lightheaded, grabbing Tanaka’s shoulder for balance.

Tanaka wrapped an arm around him. 

Ennoshita cleared his throat. “We should, um. We should get going?” 

“Yeah. Yeah, alright.” Tanaka pulled his arm away as slowly as he had pulled him up, his hand brushing Ennoshita’s side along the way, leaving a tingle in his finger’s trail. “Let’s get you home.”

*

“Why do you guys hang out at the mall so much? What do you do there?” Ennoshita asked as he looked over the variety of CD cases wedged haphazardly between the car seat and the armrest. Pointless, really; he knew full well he’d pick the same CD he always picked.

“Look in stores. Try on some clothes. You should see Noya in a- Hey, I’ve got the right of way, jackass!” Tanaka slammed his car horn, its pitiful ‘honk’ squawking in defiance. 

_ Give your poor car some sympathy. _ “Do you buy anything?” 

“Nope. Noya’s a stingy asshole. He won’t even let me waste my own damn money unless something’s on sale for at least 20% off. I gotta be sneaky when I buy a gashapon.”

“What do you do besides window shop, then?”

“Get free samples from the food court.”

“How are you a functioning adult?”

“Who said I was?” The car’s brakes creaked, begging for mercy. “Here’s your stop.”

“Thank you for the ride, mister bus driver.” 

Tanaka responded with a brief silence, nothing more than a beat, but it was a beat long enough to throw off their rhythm, a hiccup in the usual banter before they parted ways. “So, uh…” he paused again with a distracted lick of his lips, “thanks. For…” Tanaka rested a hand on Ennoshita’s shoulder lightly, “for going along with this whole covering-up-my-dumbass-lie thing.”

Tanaka was always touchy. 

But never like this. Never so deliberate. Never so... soft.

“It’s, um,” Ennoshita cleared his throat. “It’s no problem.” He hesitated with his hand on the door handle.

For the first time in years, Ennoshita was at a loss. 

Tanaka had given him rides home countless times before. He’d stepped out of his car countless times before. Sure, he’d had that lingering regret that he couldn’t hang out longer countless times before, too. 

But there was that feeling that he should have said something more, done something more. He couldn’t put his finger on what, couldn’t make out his thoughts through the smoke of… 

...the smoke of the embers, of tender touches he hadn’t known he craved until they lit a warmth in his chest.

Tanaka was always touchy, and Ennoshita couldn’t help but wonder what sort of fire it could spark. 

“Good night, Tana- Ryuu,” Ennoshita said, quieter than he intended as he stepped out of the car. 

Ryuu replied with his own soft, probably tired farewell. “Night, Chikara.”

*

**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** hey!!!!!  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** check this out!!!! ╰(✧∇✧╰)  
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** _[image attached]_

**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** That   
**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** is a quality dog ໒( ◉ ᴥ ◉ )७   
**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** Beautiful tail (´∀｀)♡

**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** just the right amount of fluff   
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** n that curve!!!   
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** a perfect tail (♥ω♥*)

**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** Agreed   
**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** 12/10 (´▽`ʃƪ)♡

**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** speakin of fluff   
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** r u ready 4 our date ヽ(*´з｀*)ﾉ

**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** We’re going to the mall   
**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** With Noya   
**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** Not much of a date (￣-￣)

**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** but we’re gonna show our love 2 the world!!!!   
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** hold hands   
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** n makeout in front of the manga store (ʃƪ ˘ ³˘)

**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** I don’t think so (⁎˃ᆺ˂)

**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** cmon   
**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** at least hold hands!!!!! ＼(´□｀;)/

**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** I’ll think about it   
**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** But don’t get your hopes up ( ˘_˘)

**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** so cruel chikara (っ˘̩╭╮˘̩)っ

**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** Good night, Tanaka

**[ Tanaka 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** g’night cupcake ( ˘ ³˘)♥

**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** Call me that again and I’ll block your number 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HAVE MORE FIC RECS FOR YOU!!! Here's some more fantastic wips!!  
> [dim a little, shine a lot](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12784599/chapters/29172801) (IwaOi) and [Out of Body](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8937079/chapters/20458486) (various ships) by [Syd](http://archiveofourown.org/users/SatyrSyd37/pseuds/SatyrSyd37)  
> [The Earth Speaks to All of Us, and If We Listen, We Can Understand](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12618244/chapters/28747812) (KiyoYui) (with art by [Starlity!!](http://starlity.tumblr.com/)) and [Ghost Finders Incorporated](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8493661/chapters/19464646) (various ships) by [Bucky](http://archiveofourown.org/users/hobbit_hedgehog/pseuds/hobbit_hedgehog)  
> [Runes and spellbooks](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12332220/chapters/28042461) (UkaTake) by [Gilrael](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Gilrael/pseuds/Gilrael)  
> [A World of Trouble](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10782834/chapters/23916621) (spy au, gen) and [An Error of Cat-astrophic Proportions](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12681114/chapters/28912056) (BokuAka) by [TottWriter](http://archiveofourown.org/users/TottWriter/pseuds/TottWriter)


	5. macbeth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Is it- Is it alright if I hold your hand?” Tanaka asked, low enough for only Ennoshita to hear in the crowd. “It’s cool if you don’t wanna, I mean, I don’t wanna make you feel like you gotta or anything.”

In high school, if anyone had asked Ennoshita what his dream career was, he’d say “director” before they could finish their question. No, that was a lie- He’d let them finish their question; he wasn’t rude. But he’d certainly be screaming the answer in his mind. More likely than not, he’d already be daydreaming about his future interviews, too, the reporter asking “When did you realize you wanted to direct?”

After a thoughtful pause, he’d reply to the imaginary reporter with “Hm. Well, I always knew, really. It called to me,” or something dramatic like that. It would have been an exaggeration, of course - the idea didn’t strike until some poorly-acted film project he did for a literature class when he was 12. But if it was “always there, dormant deep within his heart” it didn’t count as a lie, per se, right?

If someone not imaginary had asked him what else he dreamed about for his future, he would have replied with “Having an extensive collection of designer sunglasses,” - unless he’d been given a truth serum first, or a hex was cast on him, or someone lowered his guard by talking to him for hours at night about deep concepts like fate, love, and how terrible films become cult classics for their charms. Then, he would have confessed that his dream future involved superstar actor Tanaka Ryuunosuke alongside him, starring in all of his films, walking down the red carpet arm-in-arm together to their latest premiere.

For his first two years in high school, he’d considered that possibility, well, impossible. There was no way he and Tanaka would be the power couple of his dreams.

Because Tanaka was a terrible actor.

“Why do we gotta keep it ‘lowkey’ again?” Tanaka asked as he pulled into the blissfully isolated parking spot. For all of their differences, Ennoshita was grateful for all the little things they had in common, and this was one of them - they’d both rather park in the ass end of a lot and walk the few extra meters than deal with the hassle of the front, even on a slow weekday like this.

Ennoshita rubbed at his shoulder, absently considering buying some of those seatbelt pads he’d seen during commercials for Ryuu’s car. Maybe some of those cute teddybear ones. Ryuu would like those. “Do you remember what I told you about acting when we were shooting ‘Haikyu Fighter’?”

“...‘You were only supposed to pretend to punch Bokuto-san’?”

“Please, don’t remind me of the most terrifying moment of my young adult life.”

“He laughed about it! Complimented my right hook, too.” Tanaka pat his bicep, grinning with childish pride.

“Recurring nightmares aside,” Ennoshita opened the car door, the sharp gust seeping through his jacket. He may or may not have intentionally worn the thin, baby blue jacket again in hopes that Tanaka would trade. And he may or may not have regretted it the moment he stepped outside. “I meant about making the character feel natural. ‘Don’t overdo it,’ remember?”

“No, what you really said was,” Tanaka slammed the creaky old door shut, “‘Stop hamming it up.’”

“Yes, well. That point still stands. We need to be subtle. Too much PDA would be suspicious.”

“Subtle’s so boring!” Tanaka fell into step beside him as they made their way toward the ultimately lackluster mall. It seemed impressive at first; two levels for stores and a third for a movie theater, two PokeStops, one decent toy store, and a food court packed with sweet, sweet calories in a wonderful variety of unhealthy and mouthwatering forms, from sandwiches to stale pizza. But other than the food court and the pet store with the puppies, there really wasn’t much of interest that the mall had to offer. There was mostly outrageously priced clothing stores, at least three stores dedicated to candles, one store that sold so many different items (more candles, jewelry, a toaster shaped like Darth Vader’s helmet) that Ennoshita wasn’t sure what sort of brand the store was going for. Why Tanaka and Nishinoya frequented this place was beyond his imagination. “Where’s the excitement? The drama? The romantic tension and the sakura petals fluttering around us when our hands brush?”

Ennoshita hugged himself, rubbing his arms. “You read too much shoujo manga.”

“That’s why I live a happy, fulfilling life.” Tanaka glanced at him, giving that Disapproving-But-It’s-Because-She-Wants-You-to-Take-Care-of-Yourself Mom look. “Why’d you wear that thin thing again? You know that anything under 20 degrees freezes you into a popsicle.”

“I’m not _that_ sensitive.”

“Oh, that so, huh? Then your shivering’s cause you’re just so excited to hold hands with me.”

“Okay, okay. I admit it. I’m cold.”

“In more ways than one. Harsh bastard.” Tanaka slipped off his jacket and handed it over. _Mission accomplished._ “You’re supposed to be the smitten boyfriend, remember?”

Ennoshita took off his jacket to trade as they stepped into the mall. He’d probably regret trading for something hotter within ten minutes, but his baby blue jacket looked so hilariously out of place - and admittedly adorable - on Tanaka that it was a sacrifice worth making. “People show they’re ‘smitten’ in different ways, you know.”

“You’re the worst boyfriend ever.”

Nishinoya denied him a snarky retort, lauching at his abdomen at top speed. “Chikara!”

“Hello, Nishinoya,” he replied, trying in vain to detangle himself from the menace clinging to him. He’d have to deal with that enough from Tanaka for the next few weeks - he didn’t need the small addition. Hopefully the two others following close behind would be enough of a distraction to save him for the rest of the evening. “Hey. I didn’t know you were coming.”

“That’s because you never check the groupchat.” Kinoshita helped tug Nishinoya off of him. It reminded Ennoshita of those sloth videos he’d watch on YouTube at 2am on random nights to unwind, the ones where the caretakers would have to take turns holding them before hanging them on a branch the same way someone would drape a towel over a rack.

“That’s because you spam it with stale memes,” Narita remarked dryly, but Ennoshita caught that hint of defeat in his voice. Or perhaps it was jaded apathy. Ennoshita made a mental note to never feel guilty about muting the chat again.

“They’re not stale. They’re classics.”

“You posted a rage face comic yesterday.”

Ennoshita shook his head. “I expected better from you.”

“I thought it was funny,” Tanaka chimed in, a cold reminder that the next few weeks might require more mental strength than Ennoshita bargained for.

“C’mon, we gotta check out that store with all the cool things in it!” Nishinoya cut in, blissfully changing the topic and already trotting ahead. “They got some new stuff!”

As it turned out, ‘new stuff’ consisted of phone charms shaped like food with googly eyes, a Death Star waffle iron, and even more candles. Nishinoya and Tanaka treated it like a whole new world, ooh-ing and aah-ing at the same weird assortment of throw pillows and creepy, glass giraffe ornaments that they’d no doubt seen countless times before. Thankfully Nishinoya stopped Tanaka from buying Star Wars kitchenware he’d never use - Ennoshita didn’t think he’d see the day where Nishinoya was the responsible one. Especially since he was tempted to get it for himself.

After browsing a few clothing shops with price tags that terrified them, they reached their true destination - the pet store.

“What kind of dogs do you wanna get when we get married, babe?” Tanaka teased, slinging his arm over Ennoshita’s shoulder.

“Every kind.” Ennoshita resisted the urge to touch the glass (like Nishinoya was doing); his instinct whenever he saw a dog was to pet it, and the sleepy husky puppy lazily wagging her tail and rolling over to catch Ennoshita’s attention deserved belly rubs right away. It was a good thing his apartment didn’t allow dogs, because he wasn’t sure he could resist walking out of the store without two, at least. And then stopping by a shelter to get four more. Or just get all six at the shelter; shelter dogs needed the love more. Maybe he should just get a futon and move into the shelter - all the dogs would be his, and no landlord to argue. Two birds, one stone, countless belly rubs.

“We’re gonna need a big ass house for all those dogs.”

“Then you’d better start saving.” Ennoshita stepped away from the glass with a probably-too-dramatic sigh of defeat. “I need to go before I smuggle puppies into my apartment.”

Tanaka grinned at him - that terrible, mocking grin he saved for roasting someone at just the right heat (usually Tsukishima). “Why don’tcha get a cat?”

Ennoshita glared, as cold as the early April wind.

“Alright, alright. No cat.” Tanaka lowered his arm, his palm brushing against Ennoshita’s arm all the way down.

When the back of their hands touched, Tanaka oh so loosely curled his pinky finger around Ennoshita’s.

In high school, Ennoshita dreamed about walking arm-in-arm with Tanaka down the red carpet, but it was nothing more than a dream, because Tanaka was a terrible actor… to start.

In their first year, Tanaka was atrocious. It was a learning process for the both of them, admittedly - Ennoshita hadn’t considered what acting was beyond memorizing scripts, and saying the lines like, well, a human. Yet, Tanaka still managed to say his lines like a grade schooler reciting from index cards.

In their second year, all those evenings spent using ‘You’re terrible and need practice’ as an excuse to hang out after practice - and the both of them genuinely getting invested in their roles of director and actor - began to pay off. Excluding the time Tanaka punched Bokuto, Tanaka was, somehow, actually pretty good. Not exactly perfect by any means, but he was… fluid. He gave the characters life, he flowed with the rest of the cast, he found that balance between ‘lifelike’ and ‘animated’.

By their third year, Ennoshita’s grand scheme to groom him into superstar husband material backfired.

Tanaka _became_ the characters. He gave them their own postures, their own gaits, their own tics and quirks. If he ever forgot a line, he ad libbed so smoothly that Ennoshita rarely noticed the change to his own script. He could control the atmosphere and how the viewer perceived him with a well placed paused alone.

And that followed him off the stage.

He was still Tanaka. Still lively, still clingy, still quick to glare and laugh and cry. He wore his heart on his sleeve, simple and earnest to an admirable degree.

But sometimes…

Sometimes, Ennoshita - Ennoshita that could read Hinata and Kageyama from a mile away, Ennoshita that could sense Nishinoya’s incredibly rare spikes of fear, Ennoshita that could see past Tsukishima’s mask at a glance - couldn’t tell what was going on behind those gray eyes.

He could only tell there was something in the weight of Tanaka’s pause, something unfamiliar that he couldn’t discern.

This was definitely one of those times.

Tanaka said nothing, a distracted part of his lips as he stared absently at the puppy on the other side of the glass. Ennoshita watched Tanaka lick his lips from the corner of his eye, before Tanaka glanced around the store as if he was lazily looking for nothing in particular.

Tanaka was… nonchalant. Nonchalant, but not _Tanaka’s_ type of nonchalant. Tanaka’s type was… well, not really nonchalant at all. He did everything so _him_ that his brand of casual was like nobody’s else’s. It was about always being on the go, always wearing his thoughts on his face, always saying what’s on his mind even if that meant humming a song that’s stuck in his head.

His nonchalance wasn’t contemplative pauses as their hands touched.

The pinky that Tanaka had curled around Ennoshita’s tightened, gently, like Ennoshita’s favorite sweater that fit just right that he would wear on cold Mondays for a pick-me-up.

Ennoshita had his theories about the act. One was that he was overthinking it - Tanaka was allowed to grow quiet at unfortunately suspicious moments.

His second theory was something Ennoshita didn’t dare consider too deeply, a theory that maybe there was more going on than he initially suspected. Or maybe he had suspected it just a little, but entertaining the idea was remarkably dangerous - sparks enough to start a fire, and Ennoshita had enough sense to know that this was a fire that could consume all.

The third theory was that Tanaka was also considering smuggling puppies.

Well, there was only one way to find out.

He started quieter than he expected, so quiet he could barely hear himself over the background chatter going on around them. “What are you think-”

“Ah!” Tanaka’s eyes lit up as he caught sight of something out of the pet store doorway. “C’mon!”

He led Ennoshita out of the store by his pinky- until his awareness finally caught up to him. Ennoshita was surprised it caught up to him at all; it usually didn’t. “Do- do you want me to let go, or…”

“It’s fine,” Ennoshita cut in quickly. The touch was… nice. Nicer than he expected. He’d seen others do it only a handful of times, but he’d never gave it any thought. Indifferent to it, really. But now his mind was racing with it; in the psychology of body language, what did it mean? ‘Casual’ was his first thought; comfortable together, no need for anything more. There was a tenderness to it, too, sweet in its simplicity. “Why are we in the toy store?”

“You’ll see~” Tanaka sing-songed as he lead them to a display tucked at the back of the store. “Ta da! I’ve been wanting one of these for _months.”_

“You wanted… a pokemon plush?”

“Hell yeah!” Tanaka picked up a charmander and held it by his face, mimicking its open mouthed grin. It was about as tall as his head, and looked irresistibly soft.

“The resemblance is uncanny.”

“Here!” Tanaka held it out to him. “His name is Ryuu. I’m gonna get it for you.”

The plush was wonderfully soft, just as he hoped - velvety, a personal favorite feeling. If the damn fabric wasn’t so heavy - like the leather jacket currently making him sweat, but he liked wearing Tanaka’s jacket too much to take it off - he’d wear velvet all the time, dress up in terribly tacky velvet shirts, maybe even matching pants. Tanaka would probably burn his wardrobe. “Why?”

He was starting to regret thinking that baby blue wasn’t Tanaka’s color. The sight of Tanaka wearing his jacket with the sleeves bunched up to his elbows was growing on him. “So you can think of me whenever you see it,” Tanaka replied. Before Ennoshita could retort, he continued as he picked up a squirtle, “This one’s for me! I’m gonna name him Chikara.”

Ennoshita hugged the charmander closer to his chest. The yellow tummy was even softer than the orange. “Why Chikara?”

“Cause I’m weak to you.” Tanaka pressed the squirtle to his chest, sighing dramatically.

Ennoshita snorted. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Ridiculously yours.”

“Are all of your flirts this cheesy?”

“I’m offended, Chikara. After all these years, you don’t know me enough to know the answer to that question? Of course they’re all that cheesy.”

Kinoshita strode over to them. “Hey, lovebirds. We’re going to get some food.”

“Oi, Chikara, why’re your eyes sparkling like you won something?”

“Because this is my favorite part.”

“....You’re not gonna help pay this time, huh?”

“Not one bit.”

Tanaka’s pinky slipped from his with a slow, obvious reluctance once they rearched the register. But after they walked out of the store, each clutching a soft plush and Ennoshita resisting the urge to rub Charmander Ryuu on his cheek, Tanaka proposed a better plan.

“Is it- Is it alright if I hold your hand?” Tanaka asked, low enough for only Ennoshita to hear in the crowd. “It’s cool if you don’t wanna, I mean, I don’t wanna make you feel like you gotta or anything.”

_Two grown men, walking around with Pokemon plushes and holding hands?_ It certainly wasn’t the greatest idea out there - he wasn’t a fan of getting attention, or of PDA, for that matter - but… he really liked that pinky thing. “Sure, why not.”

Tanaka reached for his hand.

There was a psychology to body language, and all of what Ennoshita knew about hand holding raced through his mind - the friendliness of simply clasped hands, the dominance of a tight hold, the familiarity of a loose grip.

When Tanaka laced his fingers through Ennoshita’s, his mind raced faster, threatening to overheat. Laced fingers were intimate, a strong bond, deep feelings - and Tanaka was giving him that damn grin, the bashful one that Ennoshita was certain Tanaka would be rubbing the back of his neck, too, if Squirtle Chikara wasn’t tucked under his arm.

Maybe Tanaka was acting, the shining star of their show.

Maybe it wasn’t an act at all.

Ennoshita was beginning to think that maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t opposed to the latter.

More importantly, he was about to consume some delicious, heart-clogging sodium.

Ennoshita let go of Tanaka’s hand with a pinch or regret to go find a table. _There will be plenty of chances to hold hands again,_ he reminded himself as he sat at a table tucked away against a back wall.

When the five of them sat around the table, Nishinoya pulling up an extra chair and straddling the back of it, the questions finally began. “So. You two are a thing now, huh?”

“How did that finally happen?” Kinoshita chimed in.

_There’s that ‘finally’ again._ “We were talking and decided to give it a shot.”

Narita gave a contemplative hum. “I thought something with Tanaka would have been more dramatic.”

Tanaka glared at Ennoshita. “Yeah, I-”

Ennoshita shoved a fry into Tanaka’s mouth before he could finish. “He’s dramatic enough as it is.”

Thankfully, there were only a few questions (“When did it happen?”, “Who kissed who first?”, “When’s the wedding?”) before Nishinoya steered the conversation away (“You’ll never guess who I saw at the corner shop yesterday! Do you remember Ushiwaka?”). Hopefully that was a sign that the universe’s interest in their ‘inevitable’ relationship would wane soon enough.

When they said their farewells and Tanaka and Ennoshita walked back to the car, Tanaka wordlessly reached for his hand, and they walked to the car in a comfortable, thoughtful - for Ennoshita, too thoughtful - silence.

* * *

Parked outside of his place, Ennoshita slipped his baby blue jacket back on. “Thank you for tonight.”

“Thanks for coming along...” Tanaka turned to face him, that glint of mischief in his eye. “...Cupcake.”

“I’m leaving now.”

“Oi, what about my kiss!” Tanaka pursed his lips.

Ennoshita opened the car door. “Good night, Tanaka.” When Tanaka’s ridiculous kissy face fell into a pout, Ennoshita went in for a sneak attack - a quick smooch on the cheek.

Tanaka grinned from ear to ear. “Aww, babe! You really do care!”

“Don’t get used to it.”

“I love it when you get all tsundere.”

Over their three years of high school, thanks to countless practice sessions, Tanaka developed the potential to be the superstar actor Ennoshita had dreamed.

Maybe the dorky grin he was flashing Ennoshita was an act, setting the stage for the next scene. Maybe it was - it probably was - his usual silliness, an innocent tease for Ennoshita to play along with.

Regardless of whatever it was, Ennoshita was having fun with it. “I’ll see you, Ryuu.”

* * *

**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** hey  
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** check it out  
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** _[image attached]_  
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** he looks just like u (⌐■_■)

The squirtle wearing Tanaka’s favorite sunglasses was rather dashing. Ennoshita needed to borrow those sunglasses some time.

**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** He needs a striped shirt (´▽`ʃƪ)

**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** chikara pls let him look cool ( ´△｀)   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** speaking of looking cool   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** we’re going 2 the movies on fri with asa-chan   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** double date Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** im picking out ur clothes   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** cant have you scaring off his mysterious loverboy ( ´△｀)

**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** You’d better not scare him off either   
**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** No threats, no glares   
**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** Understood? (¬＿¬)

**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** i gotta give him a good talking 2 (╬ಠ益ಠ)   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** gotta make sure he doesnt break asa-chans heart

**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** (￣ー￣)

**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** ugh   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** fine (´д｀)

**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** Speaking of clothes   
**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** I’m thinking about getting a velvet suit (人´口`)

**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** i will set ur whole closet on fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Look what Starlity drew from chapter 1!!!](http://starlity.tumblr.com/post/170449289207/important-question-are-you-reading-the-ennotana)
> 
>   
>    
>    
> 
> 
> Thank you Starlity for being so sweet and amazing and wonderful and hardworking and positive and a ray of sunshine and [cut for length] 


	6. irony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That was why he wanted his and Tanaka’s get-together story to be simple. Oh, he was certainly tempted to make it something exciting. Take the chance to write up a script and give their audience the flair they desired.
> 
> But he liked the idea of him and Tanaka having that slow, steady build-up, even if it was fake. Tanaka was one of his best friends; their story deserved a better script than some forced movie subplot. He liked how comfortable they were together, how he felt like nothing could come between their friendship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im in a rush to post cause my friend is gonna buy me a cheeseburger but anyways i love starlity

Ennoshita had never cared much for romance movies. Or shows. Or books. Or comics. Or games - Well, games were sort of an exception, depending on if he could create a character (and make said character a hopeless lesbian). (He preferred to play girls in games, given the option; guys were nice and all, but they didn’t look as cool in armor. Unless said armor was lacking, well, armor - then he was perfectly alright with playing a half-naked man instead.)

Even small romance subplots were more on the ‘Eh, I’d rather not’ side for him. They were the essence of everything that was wrong with romance in media. The couple meets, has an immediate chemistry, “fall in love” as they survive some ordeal together, then the climax in the form of a spontaneous, passionate kiss to celebrate their victory. Infatuation at its finest.

Real love didn’t work like that. 

Real love was slow and steady. Real love was a friendship that blossomed into something more. Well, not ‘more’, because friendship was just as important - but something... different. Something wonderful. 

That was why he wanted his and Tanaka’s get-together story to be simple. Oh, he was certainly tempted to make it something exciting. Take the chance to write up a script and give their audience the flair they desired. 

But he liked the idea of him and Tanaka having that slow, steady build-up, even if it was fake. Tanaka was one of his best friends; their story deserved a better script than some forced movie subplot. He liked how comfortable they were together, how he felt like nothing could come between their friendship.

He even liked Tanaka’s incessant need to dress him up.

“How about… this one.” Tanaka held up some sort of band shirt with an indecipherable logo against Ennoshita’s chest. “Nah. Black’s good on you, but not the ‘looking cool’ part. You need something nerdy.”

“Gee, thanks.” Ennoshita plopped down on Tanaka’s bed, tucking his legs underneath him. Tanaka went all out when he finally got himself a bed; queen-sized, a mattress he could sink into, and the most comfortable pillows and blanket Ennoshita had ever felt. He was envious of the squirtle plush tucked in right between the pillows; he wouldn’t mind skipping the romcom Asahi and Tanaka had insisted on and napping on the heavenly bed instead, curling up into a silk blanket burrito and burying his face into the pillows.

Tanaka clicked his teeth as he gave his closet another once over. “Alright, I give up. You’re getting the Queen shirt.”

“Why Queen?”

“Because they’re the best thing to happen to music.” Tanaka tossed a black shirt over, perfectly set to Ennoshita’s lap. “And you’re the best thing to happen to me.” Tanaka puckered his lips.

“You had a golden opportunity to reply with a lyric, and you went with that?” Ennoshita asked as he took off his shirt and tossed it to the floor.

“You know I suck at English. I don’t know half of whatever the hell they’re saying.” 

Ennoshita pulled the Queen shirt over his head. “Then why do you love them so much?”

“Because Freddie Mercury had the voice of a god.”

It was hard to argue that. “One of their songs is called ‘Ogre Battle’.”

“Damn. That’s badass.” Tanaka glanced over at him, looking him up and down. Then he turned back to his closet. “You need different pants with that.”

“What’s wrong with my jeans?!”

“They look weird with that. Here.” Tanaka tossed a pair of jeans over with less accuracy than before, one of the pant legs thwapping Ennoshita in the face. “Nice receive.” 

“Nice kill.” Ennoshita held up the pants, and… “Ripped jeans?”

“Ripped jeans.”

“Why?”

“...I wanna see how you look in ‘em.”

“Fine.” It wasn’t worth arguing with Tanaka - not about clothes, anyway. If there was one person in his friend group that knew how to dress themselves, it was him. God knows it wasn’t Nishinoya; there were few constants in their ever changing world, and Nishinoya’s shirts with ridiculous idioms was one of them. Ennoshita kicked off his jeans and wiggled into Ryuu’s without getting off of the bed - he refused to leave its divine blessing so soon. Other than his foot catching at one of the tears where the knee should have been, he managed to get them on without incident. He felt kinda cool looking down at them, in all honesty, though he was more pleased that they actually fit him. “What do you think?”

Tanaka covered his mouth, red creeping up his cheeks past his fingers. “S’good,” he squeaked. 

“What kind of reaction is that?!” Ennoshita squawked back, reaching to unbutton the pants, “If it looks that bad, just say so!”

“No, no, no, it’s not-!” Tanaka launched forward and grabbed Ennoshita’s wrists, trying to wrestle his hands away from their target. “It’s really good! It’s-”

_ Knock, knock, knock, _ the sharp raps on wood sounded the arrival of Asahi’s date, the mysterious hot guy that Ennoshita caught himself wondering about the past week on more than a few occasions - and failed in his plot with Tanaka to steal Asahi’s phone to see if he sent any selfies twice. 

Tanaka and Ennoshita glanced at each other, a whole half of a second passing before the inevitable registered in both of their minds. 

Tanaka shot to his feet and out the bedroom door, Ennoshita hot on his heels. 

“Ryuu, don’t you dare-”

“I gotta show ‘im who’s in charge!”

“You’re not showing anyone anything!” Ennoshita wrapped his arms around Tanaka’s waist and tried to pull him away from the door.

His favorite socks - the black and grey striped ones he got on sale two months ago that had just the right balance between thin and cushy - betrayed him. They slid the last few centimeters, the door and Ennoshita both helpless as Tanaka swung it open mercilessly. 

Ushijima Wakatoshi cocked his head to the side. “Is this Azumane-kun’s residence?”

Since the first time Asahi mentioned him that day he floated into the restaurant, Ennoshita had no idea what to expect, and yet he still found himself dumbstruck. He hadn’t considered it was someone they knew; he assumed Asahi would have mentioned if it was. (He had a theory on why, now - a theory that had everything to do with Tanaka’s snarling.)

Ennoshita was right about one thing, though.

Asahi’s date was super hot. 

Ushijima got the same luck Tanaka was struck with; he was attractive before, and time blessed him even more in the ‘good looks’ department. Or maybe it seemed that way to Ennoshita now that he hadn’t seen him in person for a good seven or so years. Regardless, Ennoshita could definitely see why Asahi had been walking on clouds for the past two weeks. The shade of his hair brought out his eyes, and it was straight up unfair how well defined his jaw was. The small ceramic pot in his hands with some sort of white flowers in it was endearingly out of place compared to the rest of the picture.

“Y-yeah. Yeah, this is his place.” Ennoshita let go of Tanaka’s waist, hoping that if he didn’t think about how he just greeted an Olympian volleyball gold medalist by spooning his fake boyfriend in front of him, that he’d erase the moment from his memory completely and not dwell on it for at least four hours on a random night eight and a half months from now. “He’s getting ready. Come in.” Ennoshita yanked Tanaka out of the way by his collar, ignoring his yelp. “I’m Ennoshita. We’ve met before, but it’s been a long time.”

“Ennoshita Chikara. You took over captaincy after Sawamura retired,” Ushijima…. greeted, sort of. His brand of greeting, anyway. “Karasuno won Nationals under your leadership.” 

“Y-yes, well.” Ennoshita cleared his throat awkwardly, his face starting to burn. “We had talented players.”

Ushijima made his way past Ennoshita and the snarling Tanaka being held by the collar into the apartment. “A team is only as capable as its leadership.”

If he was trying to win Ennoshita’s heart, it was working. 

“D’ya remember me? Huh?” Tanaka sneered, his arms spread in that embarrassing ‘you wanna fight’ pose that would no doubt be his default stance if he was a video game character. 

“Tanaka Ryuunosuke. You were within the top five aces and a National champion the year after I graduated,” he stated, tilting his head in a silent question at Tanaka’s pose. “Your inner cross spike was impressive. You should have continued playing.”

Ennoshita didn’t need to know Tanaka for x amount of years to know he was caught between feeling flattered and wanting to start a fight to play the alpha dog and “establish dominance”. Knowing him for x amount of years did, however, help him recognize that constipated look that meant he was more on the begrudgingly flattered side - the one where his left eye just barely twitched and he sorta half gaped, half puckered his lips like a fish.

“Ushijima-kun.” Asahi walked out of his room, and if there was any doubt left that maybe Ushijima just happened to be at the wrong address and looking for a different ‘Azumane-kun’, it was washed away by Asahi’s airy smile. 

Ushijima held up the small pot cupped between his hands. “I brought you flowers.”

Ennoshita never cared for romance movies. He couldn’t stand their blasé tropes, the recycled this-and-that, and typical, thoughtless gifts like flowers.

But Ushijima giving Asahi a potted flower because, as he explained, ‘picking flowers kills them’ was so painfully endearing that it was giving Ennoshita heart palpitations. 

“It’s called a peace lily. You need to keep it out of reach of pets if you get any in the future.”

“We can’t have pets in this apartment,” Asahi remarked absently with a hint of regret.  _ For the better, _ Ennoshita thought with more than a pinch of guilt. If Asahi and Tanaka had a cat or five like they so desperately wanted, Ennoshita wouldn’t be able to step within half a mile of their place. “Thank you, Ushijima-kun,” Asahi said, looking between Ushijima and the lily he took from him with equal fondness. 

Ennoshita had no problem with real romance, but judging by the way Ushijima’s face softened when he spoke to Asahi, they were so disgustingly smitten that Ennoshita wasn’t sure he was going to survive the night around them. “Let’s go before we’re late,” he announced, heading toward the door, still yanking Tanaka by the collar. 

*

Ennoshita never cared much for romance movies, and the one drawling on the screen was no different. One cliche tumbling after another, like a line of dominoes tipping over piece by piece, but significantly less interesting to watch. It wasn’t _ too _ terrible; the jokes were rarely cringe-worthy, and the characters almost showed depth once. Above all else, he’d take boring cliches over unrealistic or flat out unhealthy romance plots any day. 

That didn’t stop him from feeling like he was in high school again, sitting at his rickety desk one row away from the window in his old algebra class, watching the hands on the clock taking their sweet time to move, each pause between the second hand’s ticks dreadfully long. 

His thought about everything but the movie. He wished he had more popcorn to idly munch on, even if he honestly didn’t care much for it; popcorn was part of the movie-going experience, as was eating it all during the previews. He considered using the bathroom as an excuse to walk around and kill time, but that meant scooting in front of the group of strangers on their left, and quite frankly, it wasn’t worth the hassle. 

He’d given up and decided to try napping the rest of the way through, until a tap on his hand caught his attention. 

He turned to Tanaka, tilting his head in silent question.

Tanaka cocked his head toward his hand, spreading his fingers as an invitation. 

Ennoshita shrugged and laced his fingers with Tanaka’s. 

Not all cliches were terrible, he supposed.

There was charm in small touches, charm that was lost on the big screen, lost in the lovers’ race for dramatic bursts of passion. 

There was a charm in the way Tanaka’s thumb snuck between their hands to trace slow circles on Ennoshita’s palm, a charm that sent a flutter in his stomach that no movie could imitate.

There was a charm in Tanaka’s smile whenever the on-screen couple teased each other, a charm in his dorky laugh at the mediocre jokes. 

Ennoshita rested his head on Tanaka’s shoulder and closed his eyes, letting the dull movie, the crowded theater, and the rest of the world drift away.

*

Their steps fell in sync as they walked down the sidewalk along the river, far enough behind Asahi and Ushijima to see them talking but not hear a peep of it. 

Tanaka bumped against Ennoshita, knocking their shoulders together. “I can’t believe you fell asleep right before the best part!” 

“You mean the credits?” Ennoshita teased. He didn’t mean it - the movie was probably not that bad. Maybe. In someone’s heart, anyway. Tanaka enjoyed it; that was good enough. 

The pair ahead stopped and leaned against the railing to watch the stream, so Ennoshita and Tanaka took the cue to do the same. “What’s your problem with love? It’s like you’ve got some grudge against it.”

“I don’t have a grudge against love,” Ennoshita laughed. “I just don’t like romance in movies.”

“Why not?” Tanaka leaned against him, a welcome warmth from the chill. It was getting warmer each passing night; still jacket weather, but sadly, not leather jacket weather. Ennoshita was stuck wearing one of Tanaka’s nice track jackets after Tanaka stole his blue jacket again. 

Ennoshita snaked his arm under Tanaka’s to link them. “You can’t fit love into two hours.”

“You can’t fit an apocalypse into two hours, but you eat those movies right up.” 

“Fair point.” Ennoshita rested his head on Tanaka’s shoulder again; Tanaka was a personal space heater, and he had every intention of soaking up as much warmth as possible from him before they had to part. “The ‘love’ they show in movies isn’t real. It’s… It’s rushed. Forced chemistry. Real love is…” 

Real love was… was like the trees on the other side of the river. Real love was as sturdy as their thick trunks, not a flimsy flower that swayed in the breeze and was easily trampled on the whims of others. Real love was surviving hardships together and blossoming together again in spring. Real love was only as strong as the friendship that rooted it, the natural spark between lovers meaningless without it.

Movies didn’t show that. 

Movies were dramatic flairs to captivate the audience, to have them sitting on the edge of their seat and their atrociously priced theater fountain sodas forgotten.

If his life was going to be a movie, he’d want his romance subplot to be slow, steady, and boring to anyone other than him and whoever it was that stole his heart. 

“Oi, you alright?” Tanaka nudged his shoulder to catch Ennoshita’s attention. “You’re getting lost in that pretty head of yours again.”

“I’m thinking… If my life was a movie-”

If his life was a movie, it was about to turn into a horror.

In the dark of the encroaching night, he heard it - the banshee screech that sent a chill down his spine and told every nerve in his body to run, run, run and never look back.

_ “Meow.” _


	7. fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was older and wiser in the ways of cats, now. He knew the monster from his past was nothing more than an excited kitten wanting to play, and not, say, trying to tear out his soul directly via its tiny paw-knives.
> 
> But the ‘fight, flight, etc’ instinct was still there. Apparently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, sorry this took so long! Life likes to come at you all at once, doesn't it? Thankfully everything's calming down for me and I can get back on track. I hope life is calm and treating you well, too! If not, that's okay, you'll get through it! You've made it this far, you can make it through all that is to come, and one day you'll look back on the current hardships as a distant memory.

The primal ‘fight or flight response’ had a slight bit more to it than most people assumed. Specifically, it had something to do with part of the adrenaline gland producing hormones that resulted in various reactions, more than the well-known two. Despite the variety of reactions, the responses could be better categorized by five F’s: fight, flight, freeze, faint, and… copulating.

Ennoshita was, for the most part, more of a ‘fight’ guy, despite what most would believe. Not a ‘raise fists and throw down in the parking lot’ type of fight, but more of a ‘stand his ground and face the threat head on’ type. He didn’t scare easily. Shadows flickering in the corner of his eye, strange noises that went bump in the night - he’d dealt with getting dragged into Nishinoya’s spur of the moment shenanigans too much to fear superstition, or much of anything for that matter.

He had a rare few exceptions, and even fewer that caused a much different reaction. The primal urge to run, to flee for his life.

One of said exceptions was small, furry, and why Ennoshita Chikara never learned how to ride a bicycle. 

“Here, kitty! C’mon, I'm not scary, promise! But don't tell anyone I told ya that. I've got a reputation to keep.”

He tried a couple of times when he was a kid. His bike was so cool that grade schooler Noya would have wept - with extra plastic parts over the bars and fake exhaust pipes, it looked like a motorcycle, complete with flames painted on the side. It was so badass, there was no way anybody would make fun of him for the training wheels. He didn’t care about popularity, but between that bike and some cool sunglasses, he would have been the baddest bitch in town.

If he just learned how to ride it. 

“Good kitty. See? I don’t bite. Well, not unless you ask.”

There was an obstacle that stopped him time and time again. 

The monster that lurked beyond his house door. 

Watching. Waiting. Sharpening its claws on tree trunks and shrieking its terrible war cry to pierce the ears of all foolish enough to step outside.

“She appears malnourished.”

“Eh? You can tell she’s a she?”

“Calico coats are a result of X chromosomes. It could be a male, but the chances are rare.” 

“Whatever she is, Ushiwaka’s right ‘bout the malnourished part.”

“Please, don’t call me that.”

_ “Mew!” _

The horror clawing its way up Asahi’s pant leg was white with spots of orange and black, small enough to cup in a baseball glove, and a perfect replica of the childhood terror that haunted him outside his childhood home. 

Ennoshita spun on his heels. “I have to catch the bus!” 

“Chikara, wait!”

Tanaka tried to grab his arm, but it was too late; Ennoshita took off at a speed that could fill Hinata with envy, determined to put the hellish doppelganger and the nightmares it resurfaced behind him. Hopefully a few thousand miles behind.

* * *

“Some people don’t like dogs.”

The charmander plush stared back blankly, that dumb grin plastered across its face much like its namesake.

“It happens when they’re not raised around them,” Ennoshita continued, cheek squished against the pillow. “Lack of exposure results in lack of understanding, especially body language. We see a good boy that wants pets, they see a beast about to attack.”

The charmander replied with silence, completely unlike its namesake. 

“If their early experiences were negative, the fear will stick.” Ennoshita sighed, burying his face into the pillow. “Like now.”

He didn’t mind photos of cats, though admittedly, he liked Tanaka’s reactions when he sent them his way more than the actual pictures. He also enjoyed some videos of cats, on the rare occasion - especially when they jumped into the smallest boxes possible, and squeezed in like a fluffy loaf of bread. Tanaka would send him those every now and then. 

But… being around them? 

Nope. No way. No way in hell. Not while a shrill, demonic cry still haunted his nightmares about cool bikes and running for his life down sidewalks, screaming and tripping over the cracks like a bad horror movie.

He was older and wiser in the ways of cats, now. He knew the monster from his past was nothing more than an excited kitten wanting to play, and not, say, trying to tear out his soul directly via its tiny paw-knives. 

But the ‘fight, flight, etc’ instinct was still there. Apparently. 

“I ran from a kitten. In front of Ushijima,” he mumbled into his pillow with a groan, reaching for the charmander. “Pack your bags, Ryuu. We have to leave town and change our names,” he told it as he clutched it against the side of his head.

This Ryuu remained blissfully silent.

The real Ryuu, on the other hand, was blowing up his phone. 

Ennoshita turned his head to face the plush. “I should silence it.”

Felt eyes watched him back blankly, unblinking, their judgmental stare boring into soul. 

“Fine, fine.” 

He swiped away the missed call notifications before opening the ungodly amount of messages.    
  


**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** chikara Σ(゜ロ゜;)   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** chikara come back!!!!   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** its ok   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** i’ll protect u from the scary kitten ᕦ( •̀ω•́ )ᕤ   
  


The vein on his forehead bulged as Ennoshita scrolled past the rest, until he landed on a pic of Tanaka holding a baby blue jacket in a bundle, a fuzzy arm stretched out and a paw booping his nose. 

It was obnoxiously cute. Worth the shed fur conquering his jacket.

  
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** waiting room @ the vet    
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** 2 make sure shes healthy (=^･^=)   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** n if she has a chip   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** she might hav a family……….   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** (╥_╥)

  
_ Great, he’s already attached. _

Another popped up.

  
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** hope ur okay

  
  
Ennoshita ignored the little  _ ba-dump _ that thudded in his chest. What he wouldn’t give to pretend it was the lingering ‘fight or flight’ brought on by a harmless kitten. 

  
**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** I’m fine (^_^)◞   
**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** How’s the cat?

**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** shes thin    
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** but other thn that looks good (=^･^=)   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** no bugs either   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** must b 2 early 4 flea season   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** we’ll c wut the dr says   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** shes so sweet!!!!! (♥ω♥)   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** she makes funny noises when u pet her   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** maybe she needs a family……. (¬‿¬)

**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** You can’t have a cat at your place, Ryuu ( ´⌓` )

**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** (╥______╥)  
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** but look @ her!!!!!!!  
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** _[image attached]_

  
The kitten stood on Asahi’s shoulder, tangled in his hair and batting at a loose strand. Ushijima was petting her, a fondness softening his edges, and Ennoshita zoomed in to confirm that yes, that was in fact a smile. A cute one, too. He never expected Ushijima would keep giving him heart palpitations some day. Well, off court, anyway - watching Tanaka stand opposite of him back in high school was terrifying. Thankfully, Tanaka walked out of that match with a victory and a surprising lack of concussions.

  
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** goin in   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** wish us luck!!!!

**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** (*•̀ᴗ•́*)و ̑̑

  
Ennoshita ignored the protests of his cracking joints as he got out of bed. “Watch the place for me, Ryuu,” he said as he sat the plush back up on the pillow before putting Tanaka’s track jacket back on. 

He wasn’t a fool. He knew what was coming.

He’d have to fight his fears eventually, to stand his ground and face them head on. 

And this battle was going to require supplies from his local convenience store. 

* * *

Fifty minutes later, the inevitable call came. “So, uh… I got a favor to ask…”

Ennoshita set down two towels on the bathroom counter, holding up his phone with his shoulder. “She didn’t have a chip?” he more stated than asked, because there were few certainties in this world, and ‘Murphy’s Law’ was one of them.

“Nope!” Tanaka answered with obvious glee. “We gotta wait a few days to see if anyone comes looking for her, but we can hold onto her until then. So, I was thinking…”

Ennoshita stepped over the futon set on the living room floor on his way back to the kitchen. “You’re staying here if she is.”

“Yes!” Tanaka cheered, and Ennoshita could have sworn he heard and enthusiastic  _ ‘Mew!’  _ chirp along. “Glad you said that, cause, uh-”

“The door’s unlocked.” 

“Aww, you know me so well, cupcake!”

Ennoshita tapped ‘End Call’, giving him a whole 10 seconds of blissful silence before Tanaka burst in with the baby blue jacket bundle. “There’s a water bowl and cat food bowl on the kitchen floor.” Ennoshita quickly made his way toward the bedroom, power walking to safety. “I found some litter at the store and put it in a shoebox in the bathroom. There’s an extra towel is she needs a bath.” Not that he had the slightest clue how that would work. Or if the makeshift litter box would work. Or if cats were clever enough to open doors and tear off his face in the middle of the night. 

Tanaka’s eyes went wide with wonder, like a kid at Disneyland, or Nishinoya in a candy store. “You did all this for her?”

_ For you, _ a traitorous thought supplied for him. “Did the vet say anything?” he asked from his bedroom doorway, ready to barricade himself at a moment’s notice.

“She’s healthy. Needs to get fixed and vaccinated, so I made appointments for next week in case no one picks her up.” 

Ennoshita leaned against the doorway. “You know you can’t keep her, Ryuu,” he said, softer than he’d intended.  

“Yeah, well…” Tanaka looked down at the bundle in his arms with a melancholy so genuine that Ennoshita felt like he was getting stabbed. Karma for being grateful Tanaka’s apartment was pet-free. It was like he’d never learned from that sandcastle incident two decades ago. “It’ll help her find a family, then. If she’s got all her shots and stuff.” Tanaka paused, hooking his finger over a fold of the jacket to pull it down for a better view of the kitten. Ennoshita caught a glimpse of her face, closed eyes and peacefully still. “She’s sleepy right now. If you wanna see her.”

He didn’t, really. Pictures of sleeping kittens could do the job just fine. 

But Tanaka looked so sad. 

‘Fight, flight, etc.’ was a funny thing. Unless they were Nishinoya - who would fight everything, every time - a person’s instinct wasn’t limited to a single, default reaction. Sometimes - that day being an unfortunate example - fighters would run. Sometimes, if overwhelmed, a runner would freeze, or even faint. 

The most fascinating part was, though, how a person’s instinct changed when they weren’t the one in need. It didn’t always happen, certainly. It depended on the person and the situation. But sometimes, if someone they cared was in danger, a runner would stand their ground. A fainter would put up their fists. A person with overwhelming social anxiety would ask for a refill if a sad friend spilled a drink. The human nature to care for others would take over, would give them the courage to fight.

Tanaka’s melancholy as he looked down at the kitten had the same effect on Ennoshita. 

_ Damn him. _ “Okay.” 

Tanaka walked up to him with steady steps, taking care not to startle either of them. 

She was so… small. Ennoshita knew that before, sure, but she seemed so much smaller up close. An asymmetrical spot of black adorned her forehead, with a two orange speckles beneath it. One ear black, another orange, and another black spot took over a little more than half her nose, but she was otherwise white. 

In his hesitant silence, Ennoshita could hear a gentle purr.

Maybe she wasn’t  _ completely _ terrifying. 

Ennoshita reached out tentatively, pulling away when the kitten stretched out her fluffy legs, toe-beans spreading before she pulled back into her bundle.

“Relax, Chikara.” Tanaka gave Ennoshita’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze, and a soft smile that eased his nerves. “You’re scarier than a lion. You can handle a little kitten.”

“Thanks, I think.” 

If the attempt alone was enough to get Tanaka to smile like that…

Ennoshita reached out again, his fingertips touching the soft spot of black on her forehead, and…

And nothing terrible happened. She didn’t turn into a hellbeast and claw off his hand. She didn’t change form into a Dementor and suck out his soul. She didn’t bite off his finger or explode or shriek like a banshee to shatter his eardrums. 

The satisfaction curling Tanaka’s lips spurred Ennoshita’s courage.

Carefully, he scratched behind her ear. 

She craned her head into the touch, the purring growing louder.

“Ooh, she likes that!” Tanaka remarked, scratching behind her other ear. “See? Not so terrible after all, huh?”

His pulse was pounding loud enough in his ears to give him a headache, but… the purring was soothing, and Tanaka’s smile was medicine. The adrenaline screaming to run stilled to silence. “She’s soft.” 

“Reminds me of this.” Tanaka brought a hand to Ennoshita’s hair, brushing his fingers through. “Can’t tell which is softer.”

Ennoshita absentmindedly craned his head towards the touch like the kitten had to him. “Once she’s cleaned up, she’ll be-” he yawned, “-softer.”

“It’s getting late, huh?” Tanaka pulled his hand away. “Didja eat?”

“I ate and showered after my impromptu run.” 

Tanaka snorted. “You go sleep. I’ll ransack your fridge.” 

“Just clean up after.” Ennoshita pulled his hand away from the kitten, slowly, cautious to not draw her attention. He wasn’t completely ready to dance with death just yet. Nerves coursing through his veins aside, though, he was… a little excited to try petting her again tomorrow. “Good night, Ryuu.” 

Tanaka beaming at him was, admittedly, more rewarding than the satisfaction of facing his fears. “Night, Chikara!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This outline was like a glass of water on the table: prey for kitty to destroy. Thankfully it wasn't difficult to re-outline, and I'm much more satisfied with the new outline, but admittedly I spent a lot more time trying to think of how to best approach this and the next chapter than actually writing. That's okay, cause thanks to that planning, it'll be much smoother from here! It may be around... 16 chapters total, give or take. 
> 
> [EnnoTana Week 2018 is happening August 1-7!](https://ennotana-week.tumblr.com/post/172780380531/banner-by-mo-two-point-oh-the-prompts-are) I'm so excited to see what everyone comes up with! I have a couple of ideas that I'll start working on after the next chapter of this!


	8. chemistry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You need me to stay the night again, right? Cause you’re scared of the cat and all?”
> 
> Ennoshita looked from the cat on his lap to Tanaka. “Absolutely terrified."
> 
> “Alright! I call shower first!” Tanaka cheered, already running off to the washroom.
> 
> “That wasn’t an agreement!” But it was too late. “I guess I’m stuck with him, huh?” Ennoshita sighed to the kitten.
> 
> “Mew!”
> 
> “Hm. Thought so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you're going through your finals atm, are about to take them, or just finished them - I'm proud of you! You made it through the semester/year! If you didn't do so well, I'm proud of you for hanging in there, and if you need to repeat some classes, it'll be easier next time because you're armed with more knowledge to start than you were last time. You'll make it!

There was a science behind why affectionate physical contact like hugs was pleasant.

“Chiiiikaaarraaaa.”

Hugs triggered the release of oxytocin, dopamine, serotonin; these “happiness hormones” lowered blood pressure and heart rates, relieved anxiety and pain, and produced a sense of joy. A hug could relieve a headache. A hug from a friend could help someone relax during a panic attack. A hug from a partner at night didn’t just feel nice but helped them sleep. 

Hugs from a friend, a sibling, a partner - they all had their significance, a tangible reason for their comfort. 

Waking up to one would have been slightly more pleasant if Ennoshita could feel his ribcage. “You're crushing me, Ryuu.” 

Tanaka didn’t move, laying on top of him like a pancake. A human-sized pancake made of dumbbells. “Morning!” he replied, muffled into the crook of Ennoshita’s neck, his minty breath tickling Ennoshita’s collarbone. 

Maybe that was the source of Tanaka’s constant optimism: his persistence to always be in his friends’ personal space, preferably slung over them like a dead weight. 

“Good morning.” Ennoshita wiggled his arms out from under the blankets to freedom, then he wrapped them around his captor to find an unsurprising lack of shirt. 

It was tempting to fall back to sleep, despite being smothered. Or perhaps, because he was being smothered. The gentle light blossoming with spring and blooming through his window, his friend’s comfort relaxing him and keeping him warm, and of course, the undeniable hotness of said friend who was casually laying on top of him… stealing a few more hours of sleep laying like that wouldn't have been bad at all. 

But the millennial urge to check his phone called to him. 

He dug his phone out from under his pillow and blinked at the screen. No messages. Of course not. Not like he would respond within the next two months, anyway; he only had himself to blame. 

He rubbed Tanaka’s back with his other hand, the skin smooth beneath his palm. “Why are you awake? It’s only seven.”

Tanaka propped himself up on an elbow, just barely giving Ennoshita room to breathe. His sleepy smile made that counterproductive. “Cause kitty thought my face was a toy,” he replied, cheek smooshed against his palm.

Ennoshita froze.

_ Right.  _

_ The cat. _

The cat that didn’t claw his hand off when he pet her, but was still armed, still blaring sirens in his mind. Sure, he wanted to pet her again, but it was going to take a lot of coffee and oxytocin to get to that point. “How, uh,” Ennoshita cleared his throat, “how is she?”

“She’s good! She’s-”

_ “Mew!” _

“-right here!”

Ennoshita dropped his phone on his face.

Why couldn't his morning continue as it was fifteen seconds ago, enjoying Tanaka's sleepy smile and pleasantly oblivious to the existence of felines and nose bruises? 

Tanaka’s mocking laughter tickled his collarbone again, leaving him two parts annoyed and one part mildly flustered. Bastard. “Oi. Stop worrying.” Tanaka poked his cheek. “She just wants to say hi to the handsome hero that gave her shelter!” 

Ennoshita rubbed his nose. “Can that wait?” For at least another few hours, maybe a few weeks or years. 

“Come ooon, Chikara! She’s harmless.” Tanaka hooked an arm under Ennoshita to drag him across the bed and look over the edge.

Demonic yellow eyes stared back. No, that wasn’t fair- She was admittedly adorable. 

She was just way too close for comfort, and Tanaka was pinning him down, laying on his side and his arm slung over him. Heaven and hell. 

“Here. Do this.” Tanaka curled his fingers around the back of Ennoshita’s hand, pulling it down over the edge a few centimeters away from the kitten. “C’mere,” he said in that cutesy tone that manifested within even the burliest of manly men whenever tiny, fuzzy creatures were involved. 

That heaven and hell again, Tanaka’s hand warm against his but the fear in his chest icy cold. But he didn’t pull away. He couldn’t - he needed to face this obstacle. 

Especially if he wanted to leave his bed to play his PS4. 

She sniffed at their hands before oh-so-gently headbutting them, her purr so loud he could hear it from over the bed.

It was like a roller coaster - that fear rising, rising, rising with the cart to the highest point, to burst into pure thrill as it sped down the first slope, the wind in his hair and the ecstasy in his chest as he soared. With thankfully less screaming from his friends involved. 

“See? Not so bad, huh?” Tanaka said softly.

Ennoshita pet her head gently, her purr growing louder. “No. Not at all.”

“Scratch under her chin. She loves that.”

When he did so, she pushed against his hand, harder and harder until his fingers were stuck flat on the ground. “I can’t pet you like this.”

“She’s such a sweetie,” Tanaka cooed, scratching behind her ears. “Yes, you are! What a good kitty.” Tanaka pulled away to ruffle Ennoshita’s hair. “Alright, sleepyhead. Time to make you some breakfast.”

Tanaka dragged him by the wrist to make him sit at the bar counter looking into the kitchen before raiding for supplies. 

The kitten trotted close behind, making her way to the food bowl. 

Breakfast was great, especially the part where Tanaka cooked it while shirtless and wearing Ennoshita’s pajama pants, with a kitten rubbing his ankles. 

“So. How are we gonna waste our day off?” Tanaka asked after they got dressed; Tanaka stole his clothes, of course. “I’m thinking: I watch you beat that damn game you’ve been on for weeks already.”

They settled onto the couch, Tanaka’s legs slung over Ennoshita’s lap with the kitten curled up on his chest. 

PS4 controller in hand, a friend nearby to give him all the physical affection he could ever want, a baby animal purring away - Ennoshita couldn’t think of a better way to spend his Saturday.

* * *

With the exception of breaks for food and for a walk around the neighborhood, the day was spent mostly on the couch. They talked about the movie they watched the night before. They talked about the Neighborhood Association team. They waxed nostalgic about Daichi’s thighs. Tanaka found every which way to cuddle against Ennoshita, from resting his head on his lap, to sitting on the floor in front of him and slinging Ennoshita’s legs over his shoulders to massage his feet. 

With all those “happiness hormones” swimming about, Ennoshita was on Cloud Nine.

“You need me to stay the night again, right? Cause you’re scared of the cat and all?” 

Ennoshita looked from the cat on his lap to Tanaka. “Absolutely terrified."

“Alright! I call shower first!” Tanaka cheered, already running off to the washroom.

“That wasn’t an agreement!” But it was too late. “I guess I’m stuck with him, huh?” Ennoshita sighed to the kitten. 

“Mew!”

“Hm. Thought so.”

* * *

When Ennoshita got out of the shower, he found his bed occupied. “Ryuu…”

Ryuu gave him a guilty grin. “We should practice sleeping together, right? Just in case.” 

“Why would we need to share a bed?” 

“What if the apocalypse happens? And we gotta hole up in a desolate building with Noya and Kinoshita?” 

“What about Narita?”

“Zombies got ‘im.”

“Shame.” Ennoshita sat at the foot of the bed, feet tucked under him. “Pretending to be boyfriends would be the least of our worries in that scenario.” 

Tanaka pat the spot beside him, idiotic grin still plastered on his face from ear to ear. It was going to get stuck like that someday. 

“What about the cat?” 

“There’s room enough for the three of us.”

“...Where is she?”

A lump under the covers mewed. 

Ennoshita looked from Tanaka, to the lump wiggling around the bed, back to Tanaka. 

A third of his mind reassured him that it was a good-- no, a  _ fantastic _ idea; cuddles were good for the heart, literally, among other things.

Another third of his mind was banging pots and pans, shouting ‘Don’t get used to this! Draw a line!’ 

The final third of his mind was weak to Tanaka’s ridiculous smile. “Fine.”

Sitting on the bed and legs tucked under the covers, the inevitable debate ensued. 

“I call big spoon!” 

Ennoshita hummed in disagreement. “Hm, no. You’re a little spoon.”

“Whaaat? Look at these arms!” Tanaka flexed - shirtless, of course. “Big spoon material, right here.”

“Hm. You make a valid argument.” Ennoshita scooted down to lay on the bed, pulling the blanket up to his chest. Smugness curled his lips. “I just thought you’d like to be the one getting held…” 

“Wait--” The realization dawning in Tanaka’s eyes took a while, but he got there, eventually. “I could be the little spoon! I, I mean-- I’ll give your beefy arms a chance to show off.”

“Oh? That’s why?”

“Y-yeah! Gotta be fair, right?”

“Sure, sure.”

Tanaka laid beside Ennoshita, turning his back to him but glancing over his shoulder. “It’s, uh, it’s like this, right?”

With a hint of hesitation, Ennoshita rested his hand on Tanaka’s arm. “Since when are you nervous about cuddling?” he asked, mostly to Tanaka, but he’d be lying if he said it didn’t apply to him, too. After a full day of Tanaka clinging to him like a parasite - like always - this should have been second nature. 

“I ain’t nervous!” Tanaka grabbed Ennoshita’s wrist, wrapping Ennoshita’s arm around his and holding his hand close to his chest. He kept a light hold on Ennoshita’s hand, thumb brushing over Ennoshita’s knuckles.“See?” he mumbled, no bite to his words, its edge lost to the sea of pillows and blankets. 

“You sure showed me,” Ennoshita quipped back, softer than he intended. He would have loved to blame his gentle tone on tiredness. “Are you comfortable?”

“Hmmm…” Tanaka scooted back to close the gap between them, his back flush against Ennoshita’s chest. “There. Nice and cozy.” After a hesitant pause, he continued, “...This alright?”

“Yeah. Yeah, it’s fine.” Ennoshita relaxed his hand, his palm flat against Tanaka’s chest as if to prove his point. 

It was hardly the first time he was that close to him, but with Tanaka around, there was always something going on: a conversation, a movie, a game - any sort of noise that Ennoshita used as a shield when he was a teen to protect himself from overthinking. The war drums and battle chants of  _ ‘He's so close, he's so close, he's so close’ _ were drowned out by Tanaka’s and Noya’s impressive volume, until the day came where Ennoshita was so accustomed to the physical affection that the overthinking raised its white flag, defeated by fatigue but framing it as ‘reason’. 

Alone in the bed, though, there was no noise besides the faint purr of the kitten padding its way towards Tanaka to distract Ennoshita, to steer his mind away from the steady but gentle rise and fall of the chest beneath his palm, the back warm against his chest, and the neck a few tempting centimeters away from his lips. 

He decided to make his own noise. “Did you know cuddling is good for your health?”

The kitten mewed in agreement, flopping over on the pillow beside Tanaka’s face.

Tanaka craned his neck to look at Ennoshita from the corner of his eye. “Huh? You mean like, there’s some of that weird science shit behind it?” 

“Yup.” Ennoshita rested his chin on Tanaka’s shoulder. Anything to get Tanaka’s neck out of sight. “Cuddling and falling in love trigger hormone releases in our brains. They’re good for stress, blood pressure, heart rates…”

Tanaka’s thumb brushing Ennoshita’s knuckles slowed, nearly to a stop. “Love does that?” 

“Mhm. A lot of love is chemical. If you’re attracted to someone, your brain releases more of those hormones, usually in stages. Dopamine and adrenaline first, oxytocin later on.” Ennoshita brushed a foot against Tanaka’s warm ones, testing his reaction. Tanaka didn’t pull away. “Pheromones are important, too. Being attracted to person’s natural scent plays a big role in love. For couples that meet in person, at least.” 

“So, love’s just some big chemical thing?” Tanaka was silent for a short but weighted moment; any silence from his was unbearably long. “I don’t like that.”

“Why not?” 

“Cause it’s… Love’s big. For me, I mean. I know it ain’t for everyone, and that’s cool and all, but for me, it’s important. And it’s supposed to be… it’s supposed to be magical, ya know? It’s supposed to be like you’re in a Disney movie with fireworks making your heart go all crazy.” 

“Hm… I think the chemistry makes it more romantic.”

“Huh?!” 

“It’s not just someone you click with. It’s… It’s someone that your entire being craves and connects with. Not just your ‘heart’, but your brain and body, too. It means falling in love is finding someone that’s compatible with you in every way instead of random happenstance.” 

Tanaka’s brief silence was lighter this time. “...Sounds kinda like soulmates when you put it like that.”

“Mm. Soulmates…” Nobody was limited to one love in their life, of course. And Ennoshita liked to believe that if ‘soulmates’ were a thing, that they weren’t just for romance - friends were every bit as important in his life. Tanaka believed that, too, another conversation they had years ago after the sun had set and whimsy took the reigns of their consciousness. 

But a romantic soulmate… That was a concept he hadn’t contemplated in a long while. 

Tanaka had a habit lately of making him think about these sorts of things, and he was becoming more and more certain it was going to bite him in the ass once their charade was up.

He was going to have to milk it for all it was worth. “You’re taking me to the arcade tomorrow.”

“Huh?!”

“Good night, Ryuu~”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  
> 
> _The boop from last chapter!!!!_ It's so cute!!!!! Thank you so much [Asimi](http://riseoftheplanetofthesnapes.tumblr.com/post/173523875954)!!! Kitty boop is now immortalized in my heart forever thanks to this <3333
> 
> So the fic will be around 16 or 17 chapters total, and I'm so excited for the rest C: I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I will enjoy writing it!


	9. KO

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “No way. It’s all me. I woo him with these guns,” Tanaka replied, flexing an arm. 
> 
> Ennoshita smiled back sweetly, and oh-so-calculating. “I _do_ love your arms…”
> 
> “Y-yeah, see, they uh…” Tanaka trailed off, blushing when Ennoshita made a deliberate glance at said arm, accompanied with an equally deliberate smirk. 
> 
> “Ha! I knew Chikara was the smooth one!”
> 
> That was when the spark flashed in Tanaka’s eyes, the same spark that Ennoshita had witnessed time and time again since high school: the need to compete. “Oh, you’re _on.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just some notes! A character that's only shown up in the manga is around for this chapter, but not much at all. And also, just a head's up, the 'senpai' jokes will be limited to this chapter. 
> 
> Good luck to everyone taking their finals, and congrats to everyone who's finished theirs!

Tanaka had always had an effect on Ennoshita, something primitive deep within him that had awakened when they met.  
  
Standing across the net for the traditional battle of the first years, seeing this guy with his same position but a smidge taller, a smidge stronger, and a smidge faster sparked it within him:   
  
The urge to kick his ass in any sort of competition, to taste sweet, sweet victory at Tanaka’s expense.   
  
If only that urge didn’t follow him to dreamland, that’d be super.

Lap by lap, mile by mile, they ran through the clouds on a trail that looked terrifyingly like Rainbow Road--  
  
“Oi. Chikara.” Tanaka poked his cheek to wake him. “You alright?”   
  
Ennoshita blinked at him what felt like 20 times, struggling to keep his eyes open. “Hm?”   
  
Tanaka lowered his arm to wrap it around Ennoshita’s torso. Ennoshita couldn’t recall shifting onto his back during the night, but he wasn’t surprised to find Tanaka resting his head on his chest and clinging to him; Tanaka probably had some natural instinct to latch onto the nearest warm entity. “You were thrashing. Like you were havin’ a bad dream or something,” Tanaka said, his husky morning voice doing funny things to Ennoshita’s stomach that it was way too early to deal with.   
  
“Mm. Dreamed we were racing.”   
  
“Like in cool cars?”   
  
“By foot.”   
  
“Damn. Was I winning?”   
  
Yes. “No.”   
  
The third bed occupant poked her little head up from behind Tanaka, climbing up Tanaka's side to stand on his ribs. “Mew.”   
  
"Morning." Ennoshita brought his hand near her nose.   
  
She sniffed gently before smooshing her face against his hand and rubbing aggressively, purring so loudly that it reminded Ennoshita of car engine.   
  
"Hey, sweetie!" Tanaka cooed. He pat Ennoshita's chest. "Come 'ere so I can pet you."   
  
Instead, she trotted down his side to his thigh, spun, then trotted back up to his shoulder, like she was walking down, well, a catwalk. "Mew."   
  
Ennoshita held his hand back up for her to rub against. "I think she wants food."   
  
Tanaka groaned. "But I’m cozy."

_So am I._   
  
There was no way this was just platonic cuddles between friends anymore. Not with Tanaka resting his head on Ennoshita's chest, not with his arm slung over Ennoshita's waist and his thumb gently brushing back and forth over his side, not with his foot tucked between Ennoshita's ankles.   
  
...Right?   
  
Even like this, it was hard to be certain with Tanaka. It'd be no surprise if he did the same with Asahi on the nights when he watched horror movies and snuck into Asahi's bed, as if ghosts were hiding under his bed for the past three years and waiting until he watched a decent flick. He and Noya probably cuddled so much during sleepovers that they'd struggle to untangle themselves in the morning like hyperactive headphone cords.   
  
It wasn't worth overthinking. Not today, not when he had more important priorities. "I feel like playing a fantasy game."   
  
Tanaka laughed, the light shaking of his chest making the kitty hop over to Ennoshita's. "You mean you wanna spend an hour making a character just to quit cause you don’t like their eyebrows."   
  
"Mhm."   
  
"...Whatcha gonna make? For a race, I mean."   
  
"I was thinking an elf."   
  
"Pfft. No way. Make a lizard chick."

* * *

Eight intense rounds of rock-paper-scissors, five ties, and three arguments to go 'best out of five' later, they made a lizard girl (a “wizard lizard”, according to Tanaka). She did come out looking pretty cool, but Ennoshita refused to admit it; he'd already lost enough to Tanaka within an hour of waking up. He couldn't give him the satisfaction.   
  
"So, what was that about going to an arcade today?" Tanaka asked, flopping over to rest his head on Ennoshita's lap.   
  
Ennoshita rested his forearm on Tanaka's head. If he wanted to get in the way of the controller, he could deal with the consequences. "I was thinking we'd go after lunch."   
  
"Can I invite Sis? She's been bugging the hell out of me about 'welcoming the boyfriend to the family'."   
  
"Sure."   
  
"Her girlfriend's in town. We can make it a double date."   
  
"...She's too pretty. It's distracting."   
  
"Hell yeah she is. If I gotta suffer her beauty, I'm taking you down with me."   
  
"How kind of you."   
  
"Hey, what are friends for?"

* * *

“Chikarrrraaaaaa!”

Tanaka wasn’t kidding about the whole ‘welcoming to the family’ thing; Saeko greeted him in the parking lot the same way she did her brother - a headlock that resulted in crushing his face against her chest. “My new baby bro!”

“Oi, Sis, give him breathing room!”

_You’re one to talk._ “Thanks for coming.”

“Anything for family!” She finally let go to let Ennoshita breath crisp, delicious oxygen again. “It’s about time you two tied the knot! Who’s taking whose name?”

“Mine,” Ennoshita and Tanaka replied in unison.

Tanaka slung his arm over Ennoshita’s shoulders. “Definitely mine.”

“I don’t think so.” Ennoshita wrapped his arm around Tanaka’s back. This was one battle he refused to lose. “Tanaka Chikara? Sounds terrible.”

“Pffft. You’re right. ...Ennoshita Ryuunosuke?”

“That’s quite the mouthful.” One of the most gorgeous women Ennoshita had ever laid eyes on walked up to them and stood beside Saeko. It was a wonder she wasn’t a model, or a superstar actress, or at least a game show assistant.

Ennoshita was personally guilty of writing a script just to star her back in his third year of high school. “It’s nice to see you again, Haiba-san.”

“Just ‘Alisa’ is fine,” she replied with a voice as lovely as a songbird, and a smile to match. “You two are a cute couple.”

“But we’re way cuter.” Saeko wrapped her arm around Alisa’s waist to pull her closer and tippy-toed to kiss her cheek.

“Can’t argue there,” Ennoshita replied. Between the heart-wrenchingly adorable height difference and Alisa’s bashful blush, he had to admit defeat, but that was a battle Ennoshita was perfectly alright losing.

“Let’s get inside already!” Tanaka grabbed Ennoshita’s hand, lacing their fingers together. “I gotta kick Chikara’s ass at skeeball.”

* * *

Back in high school, if someone had asked Ennoshita or Tanaka if they considered each other rivals, either would have said yes without hesitation. They had nothing on Hinata and Kageyama, who were probably somewhere in Japan fighting over who could eat their dinner faster or who could piss the longest, but they still had their moments. Splitting into teams for practice, paired to race laps, fighting games when they slept over Narita’s house - they were always at each others heels.

But Tanaka was almost always a step ahead.

Despite that infuriating fact, Ennoshita considered it a good thing. It kept the both of them on their toes, inspired them to work on their weaknesses and sharpen their strengths. They respected each other’s abilities through and through.

And if Ennoshita had to be stuck behind someone’s back, at least it was a nicely toned one.

He refused to lose here, though, even with Tanaka two victories ahead after way too much money dumped on skeeball and one horrifically embarrassing match of a dance game.

“C’mon, I gotta crush you at the basketball thing.”

“Bring it.” Ennoshita _had_ to win here. He was well practiced in the proper way to shoot a ball, thanks to spending his entire summer break when he was nine shooting hoops in his backyard - that experience from a decade and a half ago had to count for something.

He had a good start, surprising himself when he actually did get most of them in with calculated accuracy - until he noticed Tanaka’s counter steadily rising and turned to see Tanaka tossing the basketballs underhanded haphazardly, missing half the time but throwing quickly enough to make up for it.

“That’s cheating!” Ennoshita laughed when the buzzer sounded his defeat.

“Nah, that’s innovation,” Tanaka grinned back.

“Look at my two baby bros being adorable together.” Saeko showed up out of nowhere between them, slinging her arms over their shoulders. “Which one of you’s the Casanova that always makes the other swoon? I bet it’s Chikara. He seems like a real smooth talker.”

“No way. It’s all me. I woo him with these guns,” Tanaka replied, flexing an arm.

Ennoshita smiled back sweetly, and oh-so-calculating. “I _do_ love your arms…”

“Y-yeah, see, they uh…” Tanaka trailed off, blushing when Ennoshita made a deliberate glance at said arm, accompanied with an equally deliberate smirk.

“Ha! I knew it!” Saeko patted Ennoshita on the back, though it was more of a rough ‘thwack’ than a friendly pat.

That was when the spark flashed in Tanaka’s eyes, the same spark that Ennoshita had witnessed time and time again since high school: the need to compete like petty kids at a playground racing to get the best swing, or like Hinata and Kageyama doing, well, anything. “Oh, you’re _on.”_

Saeko cocked her head and blinked, completely unaware that she started a war. “Whatcha playing next?”

“Hmmmmm, I’m thiinnnkinnng…” Tanaka walked around his sister to wrap his arm around Ennoshita’s back, “that trivia game. Gotta let my man show off how smart he is.”

A strong offensive play by Tanaka right off the bat, and admittedly, it was kinda working. But Ennoshita could give as good as he got. “I’m sure you’ll surprise me. You’re far smarter than people give you credit for.” Not that trivia was a test of intelligence, but neither were school grades.

Tanaka narrowed his eyes, red creeping further across his cheeks. “Two can play this game.”

Fifteen minutes, five threats veiled as flirts, two bad pick-up lines, and three game victories for Tanaka later, Ennoshita learned his ‘something new’ for the day: Tanaka wasted way too much time watching game shows, because he was too lazy to change the channel when they came on.

“What next?” Ennoshita asked as they watched Saeko and Alisa play a dance game with stunning synchronising. It was baffling enough that a human could play on such a difficulty, nevermind two at once.

Tanaka leaned against the back of a shooting game booth. “I was thinkin’ we could watch this all night.”

“Mm. It’s hypnotizing.” Ennoshita snaked his hand under Tanaka’s arm to rest it on his forearm.

Tanaka smirked. “You’re not winning this.”

“Oh, I am. You get flustered just from someone calling you ‘senpai’.” Ennoshita gave him an innocent smile. “Should I call you ‘senpai’?”

“Don’t--” Tanaka covered Ennoshita’s mouth, “--don’t you dare. It’s not-- Nope.”

Ennoshita grabbed Tanaka's wrist to pull his hand away. “Oh? I thought you liked it because you’re a doting person, and being ‘senpai’ means you’re someone dependable that your kouhai can always rely on.”

“Uh, it’s, uh, no, you--” Tanaka stuttered, blush creeping on his cheeks again. “S’just a word.”

“Hm. I think I hit the nail on the head… Senpai.”

The blush spread straight to his ears. “Jerk.”

“Damn, Chikara, what’d ya say to him?” Saeko asked as she stepped off the gamepad. How she and Alisa weren’t gasping for air after that, Ennoshita would never understand.

“I was complimenting him on how reliable he is.”

“We’re gonna play this!” Tanaka cut in quickly, grabbing his hand and dragging him into the shooting game booth they were leaning on.

It was one of the countless zombie apocalypse games where the characters rode some car on an automated track, and the players sat in an enclosed booth to replicate it. But the real genius in the design was the two player setting - as long as one lived, the other would pump in more coins to refill their health bars; the real winner was the arcade swimming in gamers’ money.

“Left, left!”

“Look out for the sneaky bastard behind the barrels!”

They made it through four levels, including the obligatory-in-all-horror-games-but-Ennoshita-really-wished-they-weren’t hospital level (which was slightly less terrifying when Tanaka pointed out they were casually driving a jeep through it) before the inevitable happened.

“Shit. I’m outta coins,” Tanaka groaned, sitting back and watching Ennoshita shoot. “I’m your injured partner now. Gotta escort me to safety.”

“Thanks for the pressure.”

“You got this, cause you’re my big, bad hero!” Tanaka leaned against his side, shoving him by the shoulder. “Save me, Chikara!”

Ennoshita laughed. “I can’t shoot if you pushing me!”

Tanaka leaned over in Ennoshita’s view, arms flailing. “Oh, no, I’m not gonna make it!”

“I wonder why,” Ennoshita tried shoving him away with his shoulder, still laughing, taking hits left and right on the screen but too delighted to care.

“Chiiikaraaaa. This is it, I see the light.” Tanaka flopped onto his lap, motionless. “Tell… the kitty... I love her…” With a final dramatic croak, Tanaka turned his head and closed his eyes, jaw slack and tongue sticking out.

Ennoshita was too amused to notice the ‘Game Over’ screen. “Can I get your game collection?”

“You’re disrespecting my memory, Chikara.”

“Stop making out in there!” Saeko yanked open the booth’s curtain. “‘The hell’s going on here?”

Ennoshita shrugged. “I’m a widow now.”

“Yeah? ...I call dibs on his games.”

“Oi!”

Saeko rubbed Tanaka’s head. “Alright. It’s getting late, so me and Alisa are heading out.”

Ennoshita yanked Tanaka to sit back up by his shirt collar. “It was good seeing you.”

“Right back at’cha! Glad to see you two got your heads out of your asses and got together already.”

“Y-yeah.”

Saeko ruffled up Ennoshita’s hair a final time. “See ya!”

Alisa gave a wave and a smile from behind her. “Good night!”

Ennoshita climbed out of the booth as the two walked away. “We should head home, too. We have work tomorrow.”

“Wait. We gotta do one more thing.” Tanaka grabbed his hand and lead him further into the arcade, stopping in front of a photo booth.

“I thought you were out of coins?”

“I had to save some for this!” Tanaka climbed in and tugged Ennoshita in to sit beside him. “Every couple does the photo booth. It’s the law.”

Ennoshita closed the curtain. “Like having a picture of your boyfriend as your phone wallpaper?”

“Exactly.”

Tanaka put the last of his coins in. “It’s four pics, one every ten seconds. Ready?”

“Mhm.”

“Alright, here goes.”

Tanaka pressed the ‘start’ button, and Ennoshita wrapped his arm behind Tanaka to give the camera a peace sign.

After a few seconds, the camera flashed, catching their big, matching grins.

“This one’s for revenge,” Tanaka remarked before placing his lips on Ennoshita’s cheek and exaggerating kissing noises until the camera snapped again, catching both Ennoshita’s laugh and blush.

Ennoshita turned to say something, but the thought slipped away instantly when his eyes met Tanaka’s.

Tanaka was close, so close, close enough that Ennoshita could see the details of his eyes with stunning clarity, close enough to be enraptured by the way his irises caught the light like diamonds.

Tanaka’s beautiful eyes flickered down to Ennoshita’s lips, and Ennoshita did the same on instinct, tracing Tanaka’s lips with his gaze.

Their eyes met again when Ennoshita looked back up. “Can I…?” Tanaka whispered.

“Yeah,” Ennoshita whispered back breathlessly.

Tanaka tilted his head and closed the short distance.

Ennoshita couldn’t stand romance movies. Real love wasn’t all those cliches, from the thoughtless gifts, to the sudden bursts of passion between strangers, to all the fireworks metaphors whenever people kissed.

Except he was wrong about one part, he realized. So incredibly wrong.

Tanaka’s kiss was like a match, striking a fuse in Ennoshita’s stomach, fireworks bursting beautifully in his chest and sparks dancing in his mind.

Tanaka was gentle, excruciatingly so, his lips too soft on Ennoshita’s and his hand tenderly cradling Ennoshita’s jaw. Ennoshita wanted to pull him closer, kiss him harder, but he was powerless, weak to Tanaka’s spell.

Tanaka pulled away just long enough to look Ennoshita in the eye before kissing him again.

All of Ennoshita’s small victories - all of his flirts, and compliments, and the times he’d made Tanaka blush - were meaningless.

Tanaka had won. Ennoshita was completely, utterly defeated.

_“Brrng! Brrng! Your photo is ready!”_ the photo booth chimed, complete with way too many flashing bulbs, and all too quickly Ennoshita was dragged back to reality.

A reality where he had just kissed Tanaka Ryuunosuke, complete with photographic evidence.

Tanaka pulled away abruptly and cleared his throat. “Ah, aha, um. Yeah! Pictures.” He grabbed the two photo strips from the print dispenser. “One for you, one for me.”

There it was, his inevitable descent back into pining-over-Tanaka-Ryuunosuke hell, presented like a four panel comic strip - the must-have for any proper nihilistic millenial to remind themselves that life was the punchline. Innocence in panel one, silliness in panel two, longing gazes in panel three, the best kiss he’d ever had in panel four.

“...I gotta take a pic,” Tanaka said, pulling out his phone.

Ennoshita blinked at him, sense slowly trickling back to him. “A pic of a pic?”

Tanaka grinned, a little softer than usual, but still every bit as mischievous. “Gotta show it off to Facebook.” He snapped a pic before typing. “Aaannnnd… hashtag ‘Cutest Couple Ever’.”

“It’s like you look for reasons to argue with your sister.”

“That’s what siblings are for, Chikara.”

“From what I hear, I believe that.” Ennoshita opened the curtain and stepped out of the booth, doing his best to avoid looking back at Tanaka. He needed some fresh air, and maybe a few years before he could handle it. “Let’s go home. I have to feed the cat.”

“Can I--”

“No sleepovers on work nights.”

“Aw, damn.”

* * *

Maybe it was social awareness, or his acting skills, or a genuine nonchalance, but Tanaka did a fantastic job at keeping the drive home from getting awkward. From one conversation to another and only two breaks to yell at strangers for not using their turning signals, Ennoshita didn’t have the time to overthink, or to sink into his seat and groan into his hands about, well, everything.

But that changed the moment he stepped foot into his apartment.

“Why did I let him talk me into this?” Ennoshita asked the kitten, sitting on the kitchen floor and petting her while she munched away at her dinner.

She didn’t spare him a glance, too busy stuff her face with wet food that looked more like mud than… whatever it was supposed to be.

“You’re right. Food is why I got into this mess,” he sighed. He gave her back a final brush of his fingers before he got up to check on his phone vibrating across the kitchen counter.

  
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** im comin ovr 2mrw aftr vball practice (*＾▽＾)／   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** g2 call the vet 4 kitty   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** 2 c if ne1 came 2 look 4 her

**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** Okay (´▽｀)b   
**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** Go to sleep   
**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** You’ll need energy for practice

**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** yea yea   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** gnight cupcake ( ˘ ³˘)♥

  
Tanaka was ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.

But it was even more ridiculous how a single text could both relieve Ennoshita’s nerves and send his heart racing.

  
**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** Goodnight Ryuu (´∀｀)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Totally meant to write in that they gave the tickets they won to some random kid, but I realized I forgot after I wrote everything else. So uh, just imagine them giving their tickets to a kid who proceeds to use said tickets to buy a giant plush... whale. Yeah, let's go with a whale. No, wait, make it a narwhal so it has a rad, glittery unicorn horn.


	10. plummet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tanaka grinned at him, pleading with his eyes. 
> 
> Ennoshita wasn’t going to fall for it. It didn’t matter how cute the both of them were; he had to draw a line. Pets weren’t casual hobbies, they were big responsibilities that required care, and vet bills, and toys, and--
> 
> “Mew.” The kitten spun around onto her feet, trotting the few centimeters to lick Tanaka’s nose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a head's up, the boys joke about wearing bikinis - there's nothing wrong with dudes wearing bikinis, but there's everything wrong with Ennoshita wearing a striped one. 
> 
> Also, I didn't expect more 'therapist Ennoshita getting technical' stuff to pop up, but it just sorta happened. I research what I can, but since I'm limited to internet articles, there's always a chance something's off. So if I'm wrong about something, please let me know! I'd love to learn and correct it.

The chemicals of love happened in stages.

Ennoshita had to study it for a semester in university, but he couldn’t remember most of it afterward. It wasn’t really a focus besides for passing a test, like pretty much all any school subject. Sure, it was fascinating to learn about, having suffered most of it twice himself, but he was ultimately more interested in the effect it had on the ADHD brain and relationships - the kick of dopamine that puppy love gave, and the resulting fickle nature that made them flutter from one relationship to the next to get that kick again. 

He couldn’t remember the order of the stages, or the specifics of each. If he wanted, he could find it in one of the many textbooks he refused to part with (because of ‘sentimental value’) that were collecting dust on his shelf. (It was fascinating how humans grew attached to inanimate objects, he would often contemplate, including books that left ink and creases all over his cheek when he woke up on them after failed attempts at ‘all nighters’.)

He had no desire to look up said stages, though. 

He was content to live in blissful ignorance about how deep he was in this crush. Or at least pretend to. If he didn’t think about it, maybe it would go away, and he could live his life without this swift and graceless descent into pining hell.

One day, he was quietly enjoying the presence of his unfairly attractive friend and the complimentary food that came with it.

The next, he was so lost in daydream land at work that at least three coworkers asked if he was sick, and he was obsessively checking Facebook with the excuse of ‘just seeing who commented’ to gaze longingly at the picture of them kissing for the 47th time. Plenty of swooning at the support in the comments, too, complete with his mom replying with excessive emojis and at least six friends saying some iteration of “Keep it in the bedroom”.

There was just as much overthinking as there was daydreaming. How much of it was an act? How would Tanaka really react if the feelings were mutual? Would the Tanaka he knew be as casual about it? 

It was hard to say, now that they were older. 

Younger Tanaka certainly wouldn’t have. 

It wasn’t worth overthinking. Tanaka was too considerate, and if he knew Ennoshita was falling head over heels, he would probably call off the whole ‘pretend boyfriends’ thing for Ennoshita’s sake. That was the last thing Ennoshita wanted. 

The first thing he wanted, of course, was pizza at the expense of someone else’s wallet.

“Mew?” The cat tilted her head, craning it towards Tanaka’s usual spot on the couch; he sat there so often lately that Ennoshita was starting to wonder how it hadn’t molded to his ass yet.

“He’s got practice for the Neighborhood Association today.”

“Mew.”

“Yeah, I miss him, too.”

Which stage of “falling in love” was this again, the one that suppressed serotonin to make someone miss being around their preferred partner? 

Whichever it was, it wasn’t the first.

It didn’t matter; he’d overthought enough for one day. Hit his quota for internal-dialogue-bullshit. 

He had more important stuff on his mind. 

Like cats and boxes. 

He shuffled through his mess of a closet until he found a shoebox filled with god-knew-what. He dumped the miscellaneous contents - a lot of extra screws and buttons, a cord that he had no recollection of what it belonged to, and directions to his microwave, ‘just in case’ - onto his bed before placing the box on the floor in front of the cat. “Here.” 

The kitten looked from the box to him, tilting her head at him again. 

Ennoshita sat on the floor, folding his legs to his chest and resting his chin on his knees. “It’s for you.” 

She approached hesitantly, her naturally tiny steps even tinier before she was close enough to sniff at it. 

“Does it smell musty? Sorry about that.” 

She rubbed her cheek against an edge, her little purr growing louder.

“Guess it doesn’t smell too bad, then.” 

His anticipation grew as he watched her rub the box with her face, mentally chanting  _ “Sit, sit, sit” _ as she pushed it across the carpet centimeter by centimeter.

She stopped rubbing, and his heart stopped with it. He felt like he was gambling, that excruciatingly slow moment as the slot machine numbers lined up. 

Then she… took a bite out of the side. Chomped right into it and tugged with her tiny teeth to tear a piece off and drop it to the floor, freeing her mouth to take another bite. 

“Huh.” Ennoshita pulled out his phone and snapped a photo.    
  


**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** Is this normal? (°-°;)   
  


The  _ “Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 is typing…” _ was surprisingly swift. And, unfortunately, made Ennoshita’s heart do a little pitter-patter.   
  


**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** never seen that b4 (☉_☉)

**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** Should I be concerned

**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** nah   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** cats r just weird ¯\\_( ツ )_/¯   
  


Ennoshita flopped over to his side, eye-level with the kitten happily chewing away and littering the floor with cardboard.    
  


**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** Shouldn’t you be practicing ( ´△｀)

**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** but i miss u  <33322 (´▽`ʃƪ)♡   
  


Thankfully, Tanaka continued before Ennoshita was forced to accept the fact that something so simple made his stomach flutter.    
  
  
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** n i was gonna call the vet 2 c if kittys family called (´д｀)   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** so………..   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** if she doesnt hav a family…………. (¬‿¬)

  
It was no secret that ‘love’, or at least strong feelings, made people do crazy things. What most people didn’t know was that it was because the brain was a figurative asshole, and parts of it would decide that critical thinking wasn’t  _ that _ important when it came to the love. Probably because if logic was tossed out the window, there would be less hesitation to reproduce. Even if said couple wasn’t exactly planning to reproduce. 

Despite knowing this, and despite having a list of ‘why he couldn’t adopt a box-eating cat that he didn’t know existed a week ago’ at the ready in the forefront of his mind, he was having trouble giving a flat out ‘No’. 

Keeping the kitten would make Tanaka happy, and it worked as perfect bait to have him over often, too.

...There was also the fact that she was growing on him. Even though there was no way his vacuum would pick up all those flecks of cardboard.

  
**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** Maybe

**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** YES!!!!!!!!!!!! Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ    
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]:** i alredy got the perfect name 4 her!!!!!! 

**[ Chikara-chan 凸(｀△´ꐦ) ]:** I said MAYBE ( ´⌓` )

  
Ennoshita sighed in defeat. “What do you think?” he asked the kitten, reaching over to scratch her head.

She flopped over onto her side, stretching her legs and spreading her little toe-beans. 

“You make a compelling argument.”

* * *

Tanaka showed up 25 minutes later, even though practice should have gone on for at least another two hours. Which left Ennoshita in a familiar predicament - pantless with Tanaka beaming at him in his doorway. 

“Guess what!” 

“She doesn’t have a family.”

“How’d you know?” 

Ennoshita stepped aside to let Tanaka in. “Lucky guess.” 

Tanaka beelined over to the kitten sprawled out across his spot on the couch, kneeling in front of her and scratching her head. “Hey, sweetie! Guess what?! We’re your new dads!” 

Ennoshita sat beside her to pet her back. “I never said ‘yes’.”

“But how could you say no to this?!”

As if on cue, she flipped onto her back, exposing her fluffy, dangerously tempting belly. “Mew.”

Tanaka grinned at him, pleading with his eyes. 

Ennoshita wasn’t going to fall for it. It didn’t matter how cute the both of them were; he had to draw a line. Pets weren’t casual hobbies, they were big responsibilities that required care, and vet bills, and toys, and--

“Mew.” The kitten spun around onto her feet, trotting the few centimeters to lick Tanaka’s nose.

Ennoshita was starting to think he should carry a white flag around; every day with Tanaka was a losing battle. “Fine. But you’re helping take care of her.”

“Yes!!” Tanaka picked up the cat under her arms like Simba, but facing him instead so he could shove his face into her fluffy stomach. “My sweet baby Bulbasaur!”

“Bulbasaur?!”

“Yeah!” Tanaka removed the cat from his face to cradle her like a baby instead. “You’re Squirtle, I’m Charmander, she’s Bulbasaur!” He gently thwacked Bulbasaur in the face with her own tail to watch her bat at it. “And, you know, I was thinkin’ about it for a while, and I thought, what if Chikara never likes cats? So I had to come up with a name to make sure you like it, and you like Pokemon, so you gotta like her cause she’s Bulbasaur!” 

Ennoshita could feel his cheeks burning. Damn Tanaka. “You’ve thought about this.”

“Well, yeah! She’s got the perfect spots and everything, look!” Tanaka gently poked the two asymmetrical spots on her head. “It was that or ‘Dog’.”

“Dog?!”

“Cause you like dogs!” Tanaka sat next to him, still cradling the kitten intent on biting her own tail. “Or ‘Shitty Space Game’, cause I know you’re weak for those.”

“Please, don’t remind me.” Ennoshita pet behind her ears as she licked her successfully captured tail. “Bulbasaur, huh… She’s going to need a proper litter box and food bowl.” 

“Let’s go! Right now!” Tanaka said. As if on his cue yet again, Bulbasaur twisted out of his grasp and hopped back towards the box, leaving Tanaka free to grab Ennoshita’s wrist and jump out of his seat. “We can get her some toys, too, and one of those scratching post tower things--”

“I need pants first, Ryuu.”

Tanaka looked down at Ennoshita’s bare legs and then back up to give him a wink. “You sure you don’t wanna show off those fashionable tighty-whities?”

“Not today.” 

* * *

After a good 15 minutes spent picking out which sunglasses to wear - complete with the dramatic flair and witty commentary of a makeover show dressing room scene - they eventually made it to the pet store, Tanaka excitedly going on about all the cat toys he wanted to get along the ride (despite Ennoshita’s protests that he needed space to actually walk around his apartment, and one kitten did not need five different elaborate ‘scratching post tower things’).    
  
“We gotta get her this one.” Tanaka held up a green collar with a pink flower stitched by the buckle.    
  
Ennoshita leaned over the handle of the overflowing cart; if this was how Tanaka was with a kitten, Ennoshita prayed for Tanaka and his future spouse’s joint bank account if they had kids. “Mhm. We can get a bell from the craft store.” He wanted to hear the little rings chiming her arrival, though he was sure he’d regret it whenever she decided 4am was a good time to chase her tail; the thuds against the wall last night were certainly not his ideal way to wake up, even if her losing battle was amusing to watch.    
  
Soft, warm hands covered his eyes from behind. “Guess who!” a familiar voice chirped.   
  
“Michimiya-san?”    
  
“You got it!” The hands pulled away and Michimiya jumped into view, and his sunglasses that were propped on his head fell over his eyes. “Oh, look at all that! Someone’s getting spoiled.”   
  
Shimizu walked up beside her, greeting them with a polite nod. “New cat?”   
  
“Check out our daughter!” Tanaka beamed, holding up his phone, a picture of Bulbasaur licking her nose on the lockscreen.    
  
Shimizu gasped so gently, Ennoshita wondered if he imagined it.    
  
“Aww, she’s adorable!” With a playful grin, Michimiya flicked up on the screen to unlock it.    
  
A snapshot of their photo booth kiss greeted Ennoshita’s vision as subtly as a brick to the stomach, a swarm of butterflies beating him into submission. Every time he saw the picture - despite the countless times he refreshed Tanaka’s post in a single day - it felt like the first time, replaying the kiss’s memory in unfortunately perfect detail. Tanaka looking at him like  _ that, _ Tanaka’s whispered request, Tanaka’s lips softer than he could have ever imagined.    
  
He wanted to do that again.    
  
Over and over again, in fact.    
  
He wanted to kiss him as sweetly as the evening before, he wanted to kiss him rougher, he wanted to kiss him until their lips were sore, and then kiss him some more--   
  
“You two are so cute!” Michimiya said, his knight in shining armor saving him from the dragon’s fire.    
  
Tanaka flushed red to his ears. “‘Course we are,” he hmph’d, pocketing his phone.    
  
“What about me, Tanaka-kun?” Shimizu asked with a tiny but devilish quirk of her lips.    
  
Tanaka groaned. “You’re never gonna drop that, huh?”   
  
Ennoshita pushed his sunglasses back on top of his head. “You deserve it.”   
  
“Chikaaaara, you’re supposed to be on my side!”   
  
The girls laughed, Michimiya loud and bright, Shimizu delicate and sweet.    
  
“What are you two here for?” Ennoshita asked, taking his turn to be the hero and save Tanaka from his well-deserved humiliation.    
  
“We’re getting food for Onigiri,” Michimiya replied. “She’s so picky! She’ll only eat some fancy brand we can’t find anywhere else.”   
  
Ennoshita nearly sighed at the mention of the beautiful Samoyed - as much fur as there was dog, with a perfect, curved tail. He had more pictures of her saved in his phone than his own selfies. “What type of toys does she like?” It couldn’t hurt to buy her just one, or ten, or however many her sweet puppy heart desired.   
  
“Anything loud,” the girls replied in unison, heavy with defeat.    
  
“And green,” Shimizu continued.   
  
“And squeaky!” Michimiya chimed in.    
  
“I got just the thing!” Tanaka took off towards the toy aisle.    
  
“Haven’t you made Shimizu-san suffer enough?” Ennoshita asked, but it was too late - Tanaka was long out of sight. He turned back to the others. “I’m sorry about this. I should have asked about dog treats instead.”   
  
Michimiya waved it off. “Don’t worry about it. She’ll find a way to make noise with or without a toy.” She started poking around at the stuff in the cart, searching through the pile with vague curiosity. “Did you hear about Sawamura-- What’s that thing?!”   
  
“The most expensive litter box I’ve ever seen.”   
  
“It looks like a spaceship.”    
  
“Huh. You're right.” Ennoshita blinked at the hopefully-not-an-actual-spaceship. It certainly cost about as much as one; as long as Tanaka was willing to pay for it, and as long as it didn’t launch Bulbasaur into space, Ennoshita had no complaints. If it did launch her, Tanaka had better pay for the broken ceiling. “What were you saying about Daichi-san?”    
  
“What’s going on?” Tanaka tossed the dorkiest looking dragon toy - complete with shiny, crinkly wings and a lolling tongue - into the cart before resting his chin on Ennoshita’s shoulder from behind.   
  
“Sawamura’s planning a reunion party for the team,” Shimizu replied.     
  
“He should be in town in a few weeks,” Michimiya continued. “We were throwing around some ideas. I want to go to the beach!”   
  
“I like that idea.” Tanaka wrapped his arms around Ennoshita. “I’ll have to get a new bikini. I’m thinking something pink and frilly--”   
  
“Speak for yourself. I have the perfect striped one at home.”    
  
“Chikara, I can’t tell if you’re kidding or not.”    
  
The girls walked with them around the store, catching up on little things here and there as Tanaka looked for even more unnecessary things to throw into the cart. They shared pictures of their new apartment, cluttered but cozy with plenty of plants. Michimiya bragged about Shimizu surviving her first year as a grad student and remaining mostly sane. (Ennoshita recommended a fellow therapist at his clinic in earnest, in case she began to feel overwhelmed; it was his own battle with mental health in school that got him interested in psychology.)   
  
Tanaka tossed a laser pointer into the cart. "Alright, think that's it. Are we missing anything?"   
  
"Pizza."   
  
"Who said anything about pizza?!"   
  
"I just did."    
  
"I never agreed to--"   
  
"Yes, you did."   
  
"When?!"   
  
"When you asked me out."   
  
"No I-- Oh, yeah, guess I technically did, huh?"   
  
"Mhm."

* * *

“Daichi-san’s party’s gonna be great. Can’t wait to see the looks on everyone’s faces when Asa-chan walks in with his loverboy.” 

“He hasn’t told anyone?”

“Nope. He keeps overthinking how to bring it up.” 

Amongst the clutter of cat stuff and empty boxes to said cat stuff, the couch was the only free space in the living room, which Ennoshita was content to lay across and let Tanaka suffer finding somewhere else to sit in the mess of his poor financial choices.

Bulbasaur, of course, couldn’t be bothered with any of it, and decided she’d much rather lay on Ennoshita’s chest and do something horribly cute but also horribly stabby with her paws. “What is she doing?”

“Aww, she’s kneading on ya! It means you remind her of her mom, or something like that.” 

“I’m honored. I think.” 

Tanaka scooped his hand under Ennoshita’s head to lift it, slid into that spot, then let go of Ennoshita’s head to let it plop onto his thigh. “Sooo… What do you think?” he asked, scratching behind Bulbasaur’s ears.

“I think it hurts.”

“I mean Daichi-san’s party.” 

Ennoshita looked up at him, tiling his head curiously. “What about it?”

“Well, you know. This whole ‘us’ thing.”

It was a good thing Tanaka waited until after dinner to bring it up, cause the drop in Ennoshita’s stomach certainly would have ruined his appetite, and the waste of pizza would have been more heartbreaking than whatever Tanaka was about to say. “What’s on your mind?”

“Do we keep it up till then, or do we stop before that?” Tanaka ran his hand over his shaved head. “I mean, we could show off and all that. You know, let them have their fun with it, since that’s the whole reason we’re keeping it up. But then it’ll make them get all weird about it later on.”

‘Later on’. Which chemical stage of love would Ennoshita be in when the inevitable happened, he wondered. Just how screwed would he be? 

At least he’d get the cat in the fake divorce. 

“Hm. That’s hard to say. There’s no right answer.” He quirked the corner of his lips. “Who would have thought there’d be consequences for lying?”

“Oi. Don’t get sassy with me,” Tanaka grinned. “You’re stuck in this mess with me.”

“I’m the victim here.”

“Oh yeah, you’re a real damsel in distress, blackmailing me to buy pizza.”

Ennoshita laughed, the pit that was assaulting his stomach melting away. 

“I think… I think we should keep it up for the party,” Ennoshita suggested, emboldened by whatever part of the brain was throwing critical thinking out the window. “It’ll be more awkward if they ask questions then. Nishinoya’s not exactly known for his tact.” 

“That’s a damn good point. Guess we gotta keep up the charade.” 

Tanaka gave him a lopsided grin, and any remaining rational thoughts flew out the window with the rest.

“So uh, speaking of showing off,” Tanaka thankfully continued before Ennoshita could say something unreasonable like  _ ‘I like you’ _ or  _ ‘You’re so hot’. _ “The Neighborhood Association team’s got a practice match on Saturday. My boyfriend’s gotta come cheer me on.” 

“Oh?” Ennoshita smirked. “Should I make you a good luck charm?”

“You’re contractually obligated to.” 

“I must have missed that in the fine print.” 

“Tsk, tsk. Chikara, please. I thought you were the responsible type.” Tanaka ran his hand through Ennoshita’s hair, his fingertips soothing against his scalp; it was tempting to break the ‘no sleepovers on work nights’ rule under the condition that he kept doing that until Ennoshita fell asleep. “So, uh… Can you see up my nose from down there?”

“Perfectly.”

Tanaka flared his nostrils. “Anything good up there?” 

Well, if Ennoshita needed proof that he had it bad, thinking Tanaka was charming was irrefutable. “You’re gross,” he laughed, booping the tip of Tanaka’s nose. 

Maybe it was far too late. Maybe he was in some deeper stage of love, one where the trust and comfort was stronger than any ‘happiness hormone’. Maybe he’d been in that stage long before the terrible scheme to cover up the fact that Tanaka was occasionally a huge dumbass, and the new waves of butterflies Tanaka had been giving him were from being close to him in a way he’d never experienced before.

He wanted to kiss him every day, and wake up beside him more often, and spend their evenings sassing each other while petting their kitten who was contently stabbing Ennoshita’s chest.

He wanted to be Tanaka’s boyfriend in genuine. 

At least pretending had the advantages of Tanaka paying for everything. Silver lining. “What are we getting for dinner after the game?”

“Damn, Chikara. You’re using me for my wallet.”

“Took you long enough to notice.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story time:
> 
> My cat doesn't sit in boxes. Whenever I show her one, she sniffs it and leaves. Sometimes, though, she enjoys biting them and ripping them apart. But sitting in them? Nope. Can't be bothered. 
> 
> About three hours after I wrote Bulbasaur's dessert choices inspired by her, I caught her like this: 
> 
> It's like she knew what I wrote and did it to prove me wrong.


	11. perpetual

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His first crush was pretty instantaneous, and like volleyball, getting to know Tanaka had him hooked. He could list countless reasons why he was wild about him; Tanaka was genuine, passionate, kind to a fault… He could go on and on, and probably get a few hundred traits in before mentioning those flawless abs.
> 
> Really, he should have seen this encore coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I said on tumblr that I was gonna post this on Friday but, I have zero self-control. Anyways! In the end I decided on making it 13 chapters total (other chapters planned were filler, want to avoid burnout, etc); I'm sad to see it almost done, but at the same time, I'm so excited for this journey to reach its destination!

Ennoshita couldn’t say what drew him to volleyball. 

When baseball didn’t work out for him, he could have turned to any club. Sure, it made sense for someone to try out another popular sport when the first failed, but he loved baseball for the strategy, not the consequential physical exhaustion. There were countless other clubs that could have offered that, with the lovely bonus of not drenching himself in sweat all day.

But volleyball just… happened. He could list countless reasons that he loved it now - fast-paced strategy included - but he could never pinpoint what made it initially click. 

His first crush on Tanaka was like that.

When they first met, Tanaka wasn't exactly his type of friend. Aggressive, impulsive, impressively loud - he was a handful as a teammate, let alone anything more.

But his first crush was pretty instantaneous, and like volleyball, getting to know Tanaka had him hooked. He could list countless reasons why he was wild about him; Tanaka was genuine, passionate, kind to a fault… He could go on and on, and probably get a few hundred traits in before mentioning those flawless abs.

Really, he should have seen this encore coming.

“Hey, Cupcake!” Tanaka bolted right past him into the apartment, scooping Bulbasaur up and continuing his warpath to the bedroom.

“Take off your shoes!”

“No time for manners, gonna be late!”

He was wild about his imperfections, too. Probably why he still let him within a three mile radius of his apartment. “Then why did I just hear my closet door?” Ennoshita asked, kneeling down to put on his shoes at the doorway like a decent human being.

“Closet? What closet?” came Tanaka’s muffled reply between the cacophony of his entire wardrobe being tossed, hopefully not onto the floor. Tanaka eventually emerged with Ennoshita’s old backpack slung over a shoulder. “Later, Sweetie!” he said before kissing Bulbasaur’s head and putting her down. 

“What did you put in the bag?”

“Bag? What bag?”

“Mhm. I must be imagining things.”

“Should talk to a therapist about that. Let’s go!”

* * *

The court was one he’d never seen before, but that didn’t stop the wave of nostalgia washing over him, as if he was still in high school and it was the first day back from an Ukai-Junior-enforced team break. The squeaking sneakers and the solid thud of the ball bouncing off the libero’s forearms, the fluorescent lights high above illuminating the court like early dusk, the raw, infectious energy of the players - it was enough to make the view from the bleachers disorienting, a foreign angle on a treasured memory. 

Another high school memory slid into the seat beside him. “Hey handsome, come here often?”

“I was just thinking of leaving.” 

“Good idea.” Futakuchi laid his arm across the back of Ennoshita’s seat. “Let’s leave these losers behind, find a private--”

“Oi, Kenji! Leave him alone!” Kamasaki called out from below. 

“Yeah, bastard! That one’s mine!” Tanaka shouted from the other side of the net. 

Futakuchi stuck his tongue out like a small child refusing to share his toys. Everything he did was reminiscent of a bratty toddler, really. “You want him? Come and get him!”

Tanaka looked ready to take the offer and launch himself up the bleachers, but the referee’s whistle saved Futakuchi just in time. Followed by a second, passive-aggressive whistle with a glare in Tanaka’s direction when he flipped Futakuchi off.

Futakuchi leaned back in his seat. “I didn’t think you’d stoop so low. You must have gotten desperate when you heard I was off the market.”

Ennoshita huffed in amusement. "How will I ever recover?" His eyes followed the ball's path when the whistle blew again, from Asahi's hands, through the air, to Kamasaki's forearms with terrifying impact. "How are things with Kamasaki-san?" he asked distractedly.

It had been a long time since he'd done anything remotely volleyball related, minus watching the occasional game on TV. He'd done his two years of watching from the bench, and even then, at least those two years held their own special excitement. It was one thing to cheer for his team, for the guys he spent weeks upon grueling weeks training with, suffering the heat, the leg cramps, and Tsukishima and Kageyama's bickering together. To watch strangers on TV play, he felt nearly nothing. Catching one of Hinata or Kageyama's games every now and then gave him a sense of pride, but it didn't give him that rush that drew him to the court.

To be so close, though, to see his old coach tossing, an old rival spiking a few feet below, his old teammates running up to the net...

Futakuchi dragged him back down to earth with a literal tug at his earlobe. "Pretty rude to ask me a question and not listen to my wonderful voice."

Ennoshita pressed the heel of his palm against his ear. "Sorry."

"Stop staring at him like that. It’s gross."

"Huh?"

He was absorbed in the clockwork of the team, not the gears running it. He hadn't noticed Tanaka specifically. His impressive receive, sure, but not  _ him. _ Not his gaze floating their way and something devilish sparking in his eyes, not his knowing grin growing from who-knew-what revelation, not the bead of sweat dripping down his cheek to creep below his jaw...

_ Damn it, Futakuchi. _ Now Ennoshita was all too aware of Tanaka, and really, he could have done without. After the past week of nothing but unrelenting pining, he needed the break. 

“Oh, well. You could do worse, I guess,” Futakuchi huffed, as if the thinly veiled approval took effort.

Knowing him, it probably did take effort. Vast amounts of it. Or at least a hit to his dignity, hoarding praise like a dragon’s gold. 

“Huh?!” Ennoshita blinked at him, the game with his star player temporarily forgotten. 

Futakuchi linked his hands behind his head, his mask of nonchalance unwavering. “If you’re gonna go for aggressive types, at least you picked an obnoxiously supportive one. He was the worst part about Karasuno. Do you know how hard it was to break your spirits with him around? Always pepping everyone up,” he sneered. “You have crappy taste in guys.”

“I used to have a crush on you.”

“Eh?!?! Why are you--”

“Just proving your point.” 

“Ass.” Futakuchi sunk into his seat, folding his arms in front of his chest and giving his best bratty-toddler-pout. “Why didn’t you--”

“Because it was obvious you were in love with Kamasaki-senpai.” Ennoshita delighted in the pink blush spreading across Futakuchi’s cheeks. It would have looked fitting, a cute blush on a cute boy, to anyone who never had to deal with him opening his mouth.

“Yeah, well, you had a dumbass you were in love with, too,” Futakuchi hmph’d, his gaze cast out to the boisterous wing spiker cheering loudly enough to shatter his teammates’ eardrums. “Took us long enough, but we got ‘em. Lucky us, I guess.”

The conversation flowed with the sets, a back and forth like the ball across the net. Futakuchi shared his cliche tale of romance, of moving to a new apartment and finding out during a fire alarm that Kamasaki was his neighbor, of months of Kamasaki forcing him to eat over at his place and picking his lock to make sure all of his appliances worked, of the inevitable winter night where Kamasaki’s heater ironically broke due to negligence and everything culminating when they shared a warm bed. Ennoshita shared his own “romance”, savouring the sweet simplicity of it; dates with friends, a photobooth kiss, a cat probably currently chewing up a shoebox. 

All the while, the energy of the court thrummed in his veins. Enough sets went by to lose track of who was winning, and to drain Tanaka’s shouts of volume (or maybe he’d finally managed to damage Ennoshita’s hearing). 

The only certainty was the ache pounding in his chest, the need to play. 

Tanaka and Kamasaki high fived with the familiarity of old teammates while the rest of the players trickled out of the gym. “I’ll meet you guys after.” 

“What’s going on?” Ennoshita hummed as he walked up to them.

Tanaka draped his arm over Ennoshita’s shoulders. “I got a surprise for ya in the locker room.”

“That sounds inappropriate.” Ennoshita tried to shove him away. “You stink.”

Tanaka pulled him in closer like a bad headlock, and smooched his cheek. “You’re so romantic, babe.”

The locker room was larger than Ennoshita expected, at least six times the size of their old club room, complete with a couple of showers and plenty of benches, but two teams of beefy men changing didn’t leave much space. Tanaka grabbed his hand, weaving him through the two dozen guys in various states of undress to a locker towards the back wall. 

After fiddling with the locker, Tanaka held up his ‘surprise’ triumphantly: Ennoshita’s own backpack. “I knew you’d look at the ball like that, so I brought your old gear.”

“...How was I looking at the ball?”

“Like you were gonna jump off the bleachers and tear it in half with your bare hands.”

“I doubt it was that intense.”

“I dunno, you can get pretty intense sometimes. It’s just hard to see cause you still look sleepy.” Tanaka tossed the bag to Ennoshita. “Gear up. You’re gonna receive some serves.”

Back at home, collecting dust in his closet, the old practice gear didn’t seem like much. Nostalgia didn’t cling to the faded shorts like it did to pictures or medals. 

In the gym, the old clothes and worn-out sneakers were priceless in comparison. 

After doing the same stretch routine four times a day for three years, he assumed it would always be second nature, but he had to follow Tanaka’s lead. Reach for the ceiling, 18, 19, 20, reach for the floor, 18, 19, 20, step by step until he sat on the floor and Tanaka helped push his shoulders. 

“Don’t push that hard, Ryuu.”

“C’mon, Captain, I know you can reach further than that.” 

In the unfamiliar gym, this - the net a few feet away, the hard floor beneath him, the stray volleyballs scattered about - felt like home. Even the crush on the guy trying to snap his tendons was unfortunately familiar. “Not anymore. Have mercy.” 

When he finally took his spot opposite Tanaka, that foreign feel struck him again, if only for a moment. The net was taller than he remembered, the court wider and far longer. 

And Tanaka was far more ferocious. 

He was quicker, he jumped higher, and he smacked the ball with a force that Ennoshita associated with pro players, not his old vice captain. 

Stretching wasn’t second nature anymore, but receiving was - Ennoshita’s body moved on its own, jolting across his side of the court with his arm outstretched. 

“Damn. That was close. Thought you said you were out of touch,” Tanaka remarked after the ball slammed the ground half a foot away from Ennoshita. 

“Another.” Ennoshita tossed the ball back over the net, right in front of Tanaka. At least his aim was still decent; maybe he wasn’t too out of touch after all. 

Another spike, another close call, another demand for more - again and again until he finally caught it, finally popped the ball back over the net and felt that wonderful old sting on his forearm. 

Then he demanded more. 

This was what he craved, something watching a game could never give him. He didn’t need teams, or games, or a scoreboard - he needed to  _ play, _ to dive against the hard floor and collect bruises on his arms and legs like trophies, to run and sweat and burn.

Being with Tanaka was like that, in some weird way. He wanted to make it real like he wanted to play with a team again, would love both of those more than anything right at that moment while his head swam with the buzz of the gym. But just being beside him, being his friend was more than enough, was as satisfying as receiving his serves. 

He couldn’t say what initially drew him to volleyball or Tanaka, but years later, they both still had a pull on him. 

“Shit. It’s getting late,” Tanaka commented after a few more rounds, looking at the dark window. “We better start cleaning up.” 

They did so reluctantly, feet heavy but not from weariness. Cleaning up held its own fond nostalgia, though; how many evenings in high school had they spent chatting as they took down the net and mopped the floor together, as they helped Hinata and Yachi gather the scattered volleyballs and usually kept them from falling into the ball cart. 

“Hey, you alright? You stressed out or anything?” Tanaka asked as he sat beside Ennoshita against the wall after stretching. 

Changing could wait; Ennoshita wanted a few more minutes in the gym. 

And maybe he was a little more tired than than he expected and kinda sorta couldn’t move his legs. 

He tilted his head at Tanaka’s question. “I’m fine. Why?”

“You’re kinda broken out right here.” Tanaka poked Ennoshita’s cheekbone.

“Oh. That’s because Bulbasaur sleeps on my face.”

“It’s a good look for ya.”

“Acne’s a good look for me?”

“I mean the ‘dedicated cat dad’ look,” Tanaka grinned.

Ennoshita smiled back, tired but content. “You’re to blame for that,” he yawned, resting his head on Tanaka’s shoulder. “Thank you for letting me play today.”

“I was thinking,” Tanaka wiggled his arm behind Ennoshita and the wall to wrap it over Ennoshita’s shoulder. It was uncomfortable, but an insignificant price to pay when Tanaka ran his fingers through Ennoshita’s hair. “It sucks that you don’t get to play. The neighborhood team isn’t exactly mind-blowing. We don’t play games much, and our only setter is usually coaching Karasuno instead. But at least we’re playing, you know? And it’s chill. We don’t have to show up everyday or anything like that.” His fingertips against Ennoshita’s scalp were soft, soothing. “You should join the team.” 

Joining the team… It was something Ennoshita didn’t realize he desperately wanted until an hour ago. To show up and practice, to receive Tanaka’s serves, to spike again and feel that satisfying sting in his palm, even if it was just once or twice a week… “You already have too many wing spikers.”

“So? Nobody cares about that. Just come and play. If- if you want, I mean.”

He did. Oh, how he did. He wanted to play with a team, he wanted to stand on the court again, even if it was nothing more than nights like this. “I’ll think about it.” 

Whatever reply Tanaka had at the ready was cut short by the creak of the gym door. “You’re still here?” Asahi asked. 

“Oh, shit! Shit, shit shit.” Tanaka jumped to his feet, offering his hand to Ennoshita and pulling him up. “I was supposed to get you food from that place down the road.”

“That’s alright.”

“You’re not upset about missing out on food?”

“It was worth it. I’ll eat at home.” 

“Who are you and what have you done with my Chikara?”

* * *

The ride home was too short; it was nice chatting with Asahi, and when Tanaka grabbed Ennoshita’s hand at a red light to bring it to his lips, Ennoshita was certain for a solid three minutes that his chest was going to burst and flood the car with butterflies. 

The butterflies grew insufferable when Tanaka parked the car in front of Ennoshita’s place. “I’ll, uh, I’ll walk you to your door.”

“Thanks for today,” Ennoshita said, regretfully letting go of Tanaka’s hand when they reached their destination. He glanced over at the car from the corner of his eye. “I’m assuming you want to give Asahi-san a show?”

“That’s the plan!” Tanaka grinned. “So, um, we should, uh…” Tanaka cleared his throat. “You ready?”

Never. Always. Ready or not, though, he wanted it worse than he wanted to spike. “Sure.” 

Tanaka took a deep breath before stepping forward, stealing Ennoshita’s breath with it.

Instead of leaning in, a hand on Ennoshita’s chest nudged him to step backward until his back was flush with his apartment door. Tanaka’s gaze held an intensity, an intensity that sort of… flickered and died, as if he realized he left the oven on.

“...Are you okay?” Ennoshita asked with a quirk of his brow.

“...I was gonna kabedon but I got nervo-- Hey, don’t laugh at me!” Tanaka replied, laughing himself. 

“But you’re so ridiculous,” Ennoshita smirked, resting his hands on Tanaka’s waist and leaning closer. 

Tanaka faked a pout, admittedly reminiscent of an adorable bulldog. “You’re such a--”

Ennoshita interrupted Tanaka’s laugh with a kiss, tasting his smile. 

“--meanie,” Tanaka finally continued, his playful retort mumbled against Ennoshita’s lips. He draped his arms over Ennoshita’s shoulders, a hand finding its way into Ennoshita’s hair before he kissed him again, short and sweet. “I was supposed to be the smooth one.” 

“Hm, better luck next time.” Ennoshita stole another brief kiss, then another, before reluctantly getting a sliver of distance from Tanaka’s addicting lips. “Good night, Ryuu.” 

Tanaka pouted in genuine, which was unfortunately still adorable, somehow. “One more?”

This was it. This was how Ennoshita was going to die - in Tanaka’s embrace, at his mercy, kissing him until he withered away. “Why?” the last shred of his sanity blurted, before realizing with a twinge of guilt how rude that sounded, and covered it up with, “You think our audience wasn’t satisfied with that show?”

“...I just like kissing,” Tanaka confessed with a guilty grin.

That… made sense. Kissing was like hugging with all those “happiness hormones”; for someone as physically affectionate as Tanaka, it wasn’t a stretch to imagine he liked kissing just as much.

And Ennoshita was more than happy to oblige. 

Ennoshita pulled Tanaka closer against him, wrapping his arms around his back. This was somehow better than their kiss in the photo booth, Ennoshita decided distractedly as Tanaka sighed when their lips met. Tanaka parted his lips just a sliver, an invitation that Ennoshita gladly accepted, and then Tanaka sighed again as he melted in Ennoshita’s hold. 

It was brief but perfect, a dash of tongue before the last ounce of Ennoshita’s restraint pulled him away; if he didn’t pull away then, he wasn’t sure he ever could. Especially not with the devil on his shoulder prodding him to shove Tanaka against the wall and kiss him every bit of adrenaline still running strong after his all-too-brief time on the court.

“Thank you for tonight,” Ennoshita said as he pulled away, focusing his attention on hunting for his keys instead of Tanaka’s pout he wanted to desperately kiss away. 

“One more?” Tanaka whined.

“I already gave you one more,” Ennoshita laughed, guiltily stealing a glimpse of Tanaka from the corner of his eye as he unlocked the door.

“One more more?” Tanaka flashed him a dumb grin to compliment his plea.

“Good night, Ryuu.” Ennoshita turned back toward him to steal a final quick kiss, lingering half a second longer than planned to savour Tanaka’s soft lips before disappearing behind the door.

* * *

**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ3ಠ)凸 ]:** so   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ3ಠ)凸 ]:** uh   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ3ಠ)凸 ]:** asa-chan   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ3ಠ)凸 ]:** didn’t see our kiss (´□｀;)

**[ Chikara-chan 凸( ˘ ³˘) ]:** Σ(゜ロ゜;) **  
** **[ Chikara-chan 凸( ˘ ³˘) ]:** How did he miss it???

**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ3ಠ)凸 ]:** he was watchin a dog video (￣ー￣)

**[ Chikara-chan 凸( ˘ ³˘) ]:** Can’t blame him there (´▽`ʃƪ)♡

**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ3ಠ)凸 ]:** tru    
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ3ಠ)凸 ]:** all that hard work 4 nothin   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ3ಠ)凸 ]:** guess we hav 2 kiss longer nxt time so he doesnt miss it ( ˘ ³˘)

**[ Chikara-chan 凸( ˘ ³˘) ]:** Uh huh   
**[ Chikara-chan 凸( ˘ ³˘) ]:** No ulterior motives?

**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ3ಠ)凸 ]:** me? no never   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ3ಠ)凸 ]:** im innocent ( •̀ω•́ )   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ3ಠ)凸 ]:** btw   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ3ಠ)凸 ]:** did u c fb

  
He did - to look at their photo booth picture again. If anything happened beyond Suga and Noya continuing their meme thread in the comments of said pic, Ennoshita was oblivious.

  
**[ Chikara-chan 凸( ˘ ³˘) ]:** No   
**[ Chikara-chan 凸( ˘ ³˘) ]:** Why? (・・)?

**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ3ಠ)凸 ]:** daichi-sans partys nxt saturday    
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ3ಠ)凸 ]:** @ the beach (⌐■∀■)   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ3ಠ)凸 ]:** better have tht bikini rdy

  
_ The beach, huh? _ Being around a shirtless Tanaka for a full day? Life was both a blessing and a curse. 

  
**[ Chikara-chan 凸( ˘ ³˘) ]:** Which striped bikini should I wear…   
**[ Chikara-chan 凸( ˘ ³˘) ]:** I have so many to choose from (´▽`ʃƪ)

**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ3ಠ)凸 ]:** chikara ur hurting me (っ˘̩╭╮˘̩)   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ3ಠ)凸 ]:** good night   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ3ಠ)凸 ]:** u monster (´д｀)   
**[ Ryuu-kun 凸ಠ3ಠ)凸 ]:** ♥

**[ Chikara-chan 凸( ˘ ³˘) ]:** good night ryuu ♡

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder... what Tanaka's thinking/feeling..... Maaaaaybe we'll find out soon?


	12. hell of a day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There were few constants in this chaotic world, and one of them was Ennoshita answering his door without pants. “Why didn’t you--” he stopped short, face and voice alike softening when he caught Tanaka’s eye. “Are you okay?”
> 
> Tanaka collapsed into Ennoshita’s arms, hiding his face in the crook of Ennoshita’s neck. “Bad day,” he mumbled, kicking the door closed behind him. “Why do you hate pants so much?”
> 
> Ennoshita wrapped his arms around Tanaka. “Why do you hate shirts?” 
> 
> “Touché.”

There was some saying Tanaka heard a few times, “If you’re friends for seven years, you’ll be friends for the rest of your life,” or something like that. It probably didn’t really work like that. It was more likely that seven years was long enough to know if you’d put up with each other’s crap for the rest of your days. Sending each other dog pics and bad memes at 3 A.M. for seven years formed a bond that no obstacle could shatter.

He and Ennoshita had been friends for that long. They’d been through all the big stuff together - being hormonal, ever-changing teenagers, losses and victories and the Nationals stage, all of the bullshit that came with college. They were total opposites, but they always got along just fine. Hell, maybe they got along so well _because_ they were opposites. Without each other, Tanaka would probably be on probation for trespassing, and Ennoshita would be staring at the ceiling listening to emo music from the early 2000’s.

Ennoshita was one of his best friends, and always would be.

Which was why Tanaka felt like such a damn asshole for falling for him.

Sure, the whole thing started out innocently enough. So what if maybe Tanaka really did have a kinda sorta crush on Ennoshita before, and that’s why Tanaka blurted out his name like a jackass when the guys on the Neighborhood Association team put him on the spot. And maybe Tanaka kinda sorta got hooked to the feeling of being close to Ennoshita, and stealing his jacket, and buying him things, and taking pictures with him, and telling the world that Ennoshita Chikara was his clever, responsible, levelheaded, kind, gorgeous, nerdy boyfriend.

It was weird to be into him for real, right? It had to be not-cool. It was like lying, wasn’t it? Or something like that. It was definitely bribery, but Ennoshita eagerly agreed to that.

That ‘falling in love’ part wasn’t in the contract, though.

Tanaka couldn't blame the earth or fate or whatever it was for deciding to punch him with karma all at once. As far as he was concerned, he deserved it.

Alright, maybe not all of it. Spilling his drink over the crotch of his pants on his way to work? Sure. Definitely. But the rest? Overkill.

“Daaaaaamn it,” he groaned, squatting on the sidewalk and fiddling with his cracked phone. After everything else, his phone slipping out of his pocket was the cherry on top of his bullshit à la mode of a day. “Come oonnnnn, work!”

His phone responded with silence. The cold embrace of death had already led it to the light at the end of the tunnel.

With pinch of guilt, and a pinch more that he was looking forward to his destination, he began his journey by foot to his nearest friend’s place.

At least with the sudden downpour, he wouldn’t have to worry about looking like he pissed himself anymore.

* * *

His knock on Ennoshita’s door lacked the usual enthusiasm, a lazy rap of his knuckles on the wood.

“Just a minute!” came the muffled reply from the other side.

“It’s just me.”

There were few constants in this chaotic world, and one of them was Ennoshita answering his door in just a shirt and underwear. “Why didn’t you--” he stopped short, face and voice alike softening when he caught Tanaka’s eye. “Are you okay?”

Tanaka collapsed into Ennoshita’s arms, hiding his face in the crook of Ennoshita’s neck. “Bad day,” he mumbled, kicking the door closed behind him. “Why do you hate pants so much?”

Ennoshita wrapped his arms around Tanaka. “Why do you hate shirts?”

Tanaka returned the embrace tightly, intent on soaking up as much of Ennoshita’s warmth as humanly possible. If karma was coming to get him for his big, gay crush, he was going to milk every big, gay minute of it. “Touché.”

The karma was almost worth it when Ennoshita rested his head against Tanaka’s. “Why are you drenched?”

“Car broke down. Had to walk.”

“What about the bus?”

“Lost my wallet.”

“Why didn’t you call Asa-- Did something happen to your phone?”

Tanaka reluctantly unwrapped one arm to fish into his pocket and show Ennoshita the recently deceased.

“Oh, Ryuu.” Ennoshita rubbed Tanaka’s back. “Go take a shower. I'll bring you some dry clothes.”

Tanaka wrapped his arm back around Ennoshita, tighter this time, and groaned into Ennoshita’s neck. “Need cuddles.”

“Cuddles after.” Ennoshita nudged Tanaka’s shoulders. “I need pants. I’m starting to feel awkward.”

“If it helps, I can take mine off, too--”

_“Shower,_ Ryuu.”

“Fine, fine. But I'm getting those cuddles you promised after.” Tanaka did that threatening ‘I’m watching you’ eye-to-eye gesture as he backed away, and when Ennoshita gave him a dorky smile back, he decided the day wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

“Oi. That’s my spot.”

“Mew?”

“You can’t play dumb with me. I’m the master of all things dumb.”

“Mew.”

“No, Ryuu’s right.”

“Hey! You’re not supposed to agree!” Tanaka scooped up the kitten on Ennoshita’s lap before plopping onto the couch and flopping over to rest his head on those comfy thighs.

Bulbasaur curled up against his bare chest, unphased at the relocation.

“I left a shirt out for you, too,” Ennoshita remarked, his fingertips brushing back and forth over Tanaka’s bicep.

“It’s alright, I forgive you.” It was no wonder Bulbasaur was always purring like a motor when she sat on Ennoshita’s lap; getting pet like that, Tanaka was about to start purring, too. “I forgive you for putting on pants, too. You get the best pajamas. Almost as cozy as your thighs.”

“Thanks, I think.” Ennoshita’s fingers trailed up over Tanaka’s collarbone to brush the back of his knuckles over the side of Tanaka’s neck. “I texted Asahi-san to let him know what happened. Do you want to talk about your day?”

“Not much to say. Everything that could turn to shit did just that.” Well, almost everything. That cat he tried to pet could have attacked him instead of running away, he supposed. But the wound in his heart from that rejection would never heal. “Cuddles help, right? Cause of all that science stuff?”

Ennoshita’s fingers continued their trail, a soothing circle over the side of his neck before brushing back down over his collarbone to his shoulder. “Mhm.”

“What about kissing?” Tanaka blurted.

The fingers stilled.

_I fucked up,_ Tanaka’s mind screeched, sounding the alarms. _I fucked up, I fucked up, I fu--_

“It’s mostly similar,” Ennoshita replied with a knowing smirk.

He knew full damn well what Tanaka was getting at. That coy bastard.

“Oh, yeah?” Tanaka began, spurred on by that damn smirk. “How’s it different?”

“Hm. I don’t remember most offhand. I remember that...” Ennoshita’s fingertips brushed featherlight over Tanaka’s jawline, “making out exercises facial muscles.”

Tanaka sat up, and Bulbasaur jumped away, a little pitter-patter of her feet as she scurried off to chase whatever imaginary threat was running off into Ennoshita’s bedroom. “My jaw _could_ use a workout…”

“Mm. Are you sure?” Ennoshita hummed, smug as could be. “Your jawline looks great to me.”

Damn him. _Damn_ him, he was smooth, and it was driving Tanaka wild. “Gotta keep it in shape to impress you.” Tanaka leaned in closer, biting the corner of his lip. “We should get some kissing practice in. In case they lock us in a closet at Daichi-san’s party on Sunday. You know, that ‘Seven Minutes in Heaven’ or whatever.”

“A closet? At the beach?” Ennoshita laughed, his eyes falling to Tanaka’s lips.

“Don’t underestimate Suga-san’s ability to get creative.”

“You have a point there.” Ennoshita cupped Tanaka’s jaw, thumb brushing the other corner of Tanaka’s bottom lip. “We should be prepared.”

Tanaka didn’t hesitate, bringing his lips to Ennoshita’s and delighting in Ennoshita’s surprised hum. It was even better when Ennoshita followed it with one of those happy throat noises that Tanaka couldn’t help but echo.

Ennoshita parted his lips, and Tanaka gladly took the invitation. A flick of Ennoshita’s tongue against his own sent a wonderful tingle down his back, a tingle Ennoshita unknowingly followed with his palm, and Tanaka was ready to melt on the spot.

It was a good day.

A damn good day, one of the best Tanaka could remember. The best since the last time he kissed Ennoshita. And that day was the best since their first kiss.

Damn, he was the luckiest guy on earth, rolling in great days and better kisses with the hottest, cleverest, nerdiest dork in the world.

The dork was a good kisser, too.

He was a tease, just enough tongue to keep Tanaka needing more, and those addicting, contented sighs and happy throat noises whenever Tanaka nipped at his bottom lip. And his hands, his _hands,_ roaming Tanaka’s back and his shoulders and then back down to grab Tanaka’s waist.

Ennoshita’s hair was so soft. Tanaka couldn’t get enough of it, couldn’t stop running his fingers through and brushing his fingertips over Ennoshita’s scalp, and admittedly couldn’t stop wondering what kind of shampoo Ennoshita used and if he should grow out his hair to use it, too.

Tanaka was so caught up in Ennoshita’s kiss that he didn’t realize he’d straddled Ennoshita’s waist at some point. “Is this, uh, this okay?” he asked when he finally noticed.

Ennoshita answered with another kiss.

It was a damn good day.

Tanaka was lost in it all, lost in Ennoshita’s kiss, in Ennoshita’s hands, in Ennoshita’s hair, in Ennoshita wrapping his arm around his waist to turn him around. He followed Ennoshita’s lead, leaning backward until his back hit the couch seats and Ennoshita was on top of him, Ennoshita’s bangs brushing his forehead--

An unflattering gurgle pulled him out of his euphoric haze. “Whose stomach was that?”

Ennoshita looked down at the noisy suspects. “I’m not sure.” He sat up, rubbing his eyes before blinking at the window. “It got dark. How long were we at it?”

“Had to be at least an hour to get that dark.”

Another gurgle chimed in.

“Think our tummies are talking to each other,” Tanaka joked. “What do you think they’re talking about?”

“A stiff conversation about the weather.”

“I was gonna ask if you knew cause of a ‘gut feeling’, but I decided to spare ya.”

“Thanks.” Ennoshita leaned over to get his phone from the coffee table. “I’ll order food. What do you want?”

“I lost my wallet, remember?”

“This one’s on me.”

“Chikara, is this character development?”

“Tell me what you want before I change my mind.”

* * *

“Guess I’ll head home,” Tanaka sighed dramatically after dinner, giving his best pity party. If only there was a rock to kick for added effect. “You know, since no sleepovers on work days…”

Ennoshita gave him that exasperated-but-still-somehow-fond sigh. “Come on,” he replied, waving him toward the bedroom.

“Yes!!”

Ennoshita in his arms and a cat curled up right above his head like a fluffy hat was the perfect end to a perfect day.

“Didja know you get this spark in your eye when you get an idea?” Tanaka asked, poking Ennoshita’s cheek. “What’re you thinkin’ about?”

Ennoshita rested his hand on Tanaka’s side, giving him that soft smile that turned his legs to jello. “The reunion on Sunday will be interesting.”

Tanaka slipped his leg between Ennoshita’s, rubbing Ennoshita’s feet with his own. “Oh, yeah? Why’s that?”

“Just hoping it’ll turn out well.” Ennoshita searched Tanaka’s eyes, his soft smile getting sleepy as his eyes grew heavier. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m good, why-- Oh, right. Shitty day.” Tanaka snaked his arm under Ennoshita’s to wrap over his side. “A lot better. Thanks, Chikara.” He pulled Ennoshita in tighter. “I mean it. I feel a million times better ‘cause of you.”

“Guess that kissing helped after all,” Ennoshita smirked lazily.

“Damn right it did. Guess we’ll have to keep that in mind for the next bad day...”

“Guess so.” Ennoshita blinked heavily, struggling to keep his eyes open.

Tanaka searched Ennoshita’s content face before his gaze fell on his lips.

Ennoshita gave an amused huff before closing the short distance to give Tanaka a soft, tired kiss. “Good night, Ryuu.”

“Good night, Cupcake.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got some more ennotana recs for you!!!!
> 
> [Rising Crow series](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1072404) by [cybernya](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cybernya), a Yakuza au!!
> 
> [Greener Pastures](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15227079) by [Gilrael](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gilrael), an au where Tanaka is a horse tamer and Ennoshita is a ~~thirsty~~ writer!!


	13. real

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As for Ennoshita’s second plan for the day… 
> 
> “And what do I get for being the self-sacrificing hero in this, huh?” Tanaka asked with a devious grin, glancing at Ennoshita from the corner of his eye. 
> 
> “Hm. How about… a kiss?”
> 
> Tanaka’s grin grew, and so did Ennoshita’s confidence. 
> 
> He was pretty certain his second plan would work out just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I didn't update as soon as I said I would, but tbh I got scared of finishing this cause I didn't want it to end! Anyways, here we go, final chapter! 
> 
> Uh, warning of phallic drawings with sunscreen

Plans were Ennoshita’s specialty.

Sort of.

It wasn’t that he was the type that absolutely needed a plan for everything. (If he was, Tanaka and Nishinoya would’ve been the banes of his existence.) If he had to pick where he stood on the matter - like in those personality quizzes he’d take five times, altering one or two answers each time until he got a result he liked - he’d say he was more of a “go with the flow” sort.

He enjoyed others’ spontaneity, for the most part. Even admired it, to a degree. But from what he noticed over the years, spontaneity usually went hand-in-hand with a complete disregard for any and all thought.

That was something he could never do. Because he had this lovely ability to overthink everything. Constantly.

That was why coming up with plans was second nature to him - there was nothing he hadn’t considered ahead of time from every possible angle to every possible outcome.

“Whatcha got for us, Cupcake?”

He had two plans for their day. The first involved the two currently in the back seat as they drove to the beach - more specifically, it involved ‘introducing’ one to the rest of the party in a way that would prevent the other from imploding into a black hole of anxiety.

“Asahi-san and Ushijima-san walk ahead of us to greet them first. Let whoever’s there gawk for three-to-five seconds. Then you do something to distract them, and I’ll pull Ushijima-san away to help set up the umbrella.”

“Will that really be enough?” Asahi legs shook enough to rattle Ennoshita’s seat from behind. He was worried over nothing, of course; the award for ‘Best Dramatic Performance of the Day’ at the reveal of his boyfriend would have gone Tanaka if he hadn’t already known, hands down.

“I’m pretty sure.” Ennoshita had gotten more confident with his plans over the years. At least, he’d gotten better at pretending to be confident. It came with being a captain, and then a therapist; starting a speech with _‘Um, I’m not sure this will work, but…’_ didn’t exactly inspire others. “They’ll be shocked to see him, but they’ll get over it in a few minutes. If we distract them right away, it should eliminate that initial awkward moment.”

It would probably work. Even if it didn’t, the worst that would happen is Daichi and Suga teasing Asahi for trying to bury his head in the sand.

As for Ennoshita’s second plan for the day…

“And what do I get for being the self-sacrificing hero in this, huh?” Tanaka asked with a devious grin, glancing at Ennoshita from the corner of his eye.

“Hm. How about… a kiss?”

Tanaka’s grin grew, and so did Ennoshita’s confidence.

He was pretty certain his second plan would work out just fine.

* * *

The beach was appropriately busy for a summer Sunday, enough so that the otherwise-impossible-to-ignore Nishinoya was hard to spot amongst the crowd of kids.

The rest of the crew wasn’t too hard to find, thanks to Suga’s tie-dye blanket and unfortunately matching umbrella. Suga was shuffling through a duffle bag, Shimizu was putting sunscreen on Michimiya’s back, Kinoshita and Narita were sitting under a different umbrella and chatting. Daichi was walking up to them - keyword, ‘was’, stopping short when he noticed Ennoshita’s traveling companions.

“Wel...come?” Daichi greeted, sort of, blinking a couple of times at Ushijima before looking in Ennoshita’s direction for answers.

“Daaaaiichi, where’s the...” Suga looked up from the duffle bag, abruptly bringing the count of people gaping like fish to two.

Asahi scratched the back of his neck with one hand and placed the other on Ushijima’s shoulder. “Wakatoshi… is boyfriend… mine?”

Daichi nodded along like Hinata used to nod along to Tsukishima’s math explanations: cluelessly. “Uh...huh?”

Ushijima nodded politely. “Sawamura.”

A familiar tuft of spiky hair - back to its natural black, Ennoshita noticed - stuck up out of the crowd like a shark on the prowl.

“That’s your cue,” Ennoshita whispered, gently elbowing Tanaka’s ribs.

“But it’s like watching an embarrassing sitcom.”

"What about that kiss?”

“Daichi-san!” Tanaka called out with renewed enthusiasm, kicking up sand as he bolted toward his prey.

Ennoshita took a moment to enjoy the sight of one hot, shirtless man clinging to another before turning his attention to the source of his former upperclassmen’s confusion. “Could you help me set up the umbrella, Ushijima-san?”

By the time Daichi pried Tanaka off of him, and Tanaka had his vigorous hug session with Nishinoya, the rest greeted them and helped them set up without awkward gawking. Ennoshita was to blame for his former peers knowing about Ushijima, but the girls? He chalked that up to Shimizu’s awareness of anything and everything that he sometimes wondered if it was a result of dark magic and/or organized crime connections.

Tanaka met him under the umbrella, holding up a bottle of sunscreen far too triumphantly. “Rub me!”

“Did you have to say it like that?”

“Butter me up, Captain!”

With a sigh of defeat, Ennoshita took the sunscreen from Tanaka’s grasp. “Turn around.”

This was, admittedly, the part he was looking forward to the most, execution of the plan excluded. Tanaka leaned into the touch as Ennoshita took his sweet, sweet time rubbing the sunscreen down Tanaka’s back. If only sixteen-year-old Ennoshita knew he’d be here someday, massaging the back he stole every possible glance at. Well, there was that time after the prefecture finals in their second year when he invited Tanaka over for a massage, but his motive there was surprisingly innocent; after playing a full five sets against Shiratorizawa, Tanaka deserved a  massage worthy of falling asleep halfway through and drooling on Ennoshita’s pillow. (Ennoshita offered Nishinoya one, too, but he declined, something about ‘a true man doesn’t need massages!’ despite Ennoshita’s protests that no, perceived masculinity doesn’t cure muscle knots.)

“You know you don’t gotta be so thorough,” Tanaka remarked as Ennoshita pressed his thumbs firmly against Tanaka’s shoulder blades.

“Would you like me to stop?”

“Nope, nu huh. Keep going.”

He gave Tanaka’s arms a quick massage, too, enjoying every second of it, but he declined when Tanaka asked to get his chest. He wanted to - badly - but not enough to publicly embarrass himself, and it was bad enough that Daichi and Suga were giving him those smug looks.

“What are you trying to accomplish?” Ennoshita laughed when Tanaka made dumb faces while he tried to put sunscreen on his cheeks.

“That laugh,” Tanaka replied with a grin.

That shouldn’t have given Ennoshita heart palpitations. “You’re too much,” Ennoshita replied with a fond sigh, rubbing a streak of sunscreen into Tanaka’s forehead until it couldn’t be seen. “Alright, that should do it.”

Tanaka’s method for applying sunscreen apparently involved writing messages with his fingertips on Ennoshita’s back before rubbing them away. “What d’ya think this one says?”

“Hm… I couldn’t tell.”

“Trick question! It was just a lot of hearts.”

“You sure fooled me.”

“Kukuku,” Tanaka faked a laugh like some anime villain. “Alright, lemme get your face.”

Tanaka continued to be a total dork as he went about his task, tilting his head and pursing his lips. “Hmmmmmmmmm. Yes, yes, the details on this sculpture are exquisite. Just look at this magnificent nose,” he said with an exaggerated drawl, swiping his sunscreen-covered thumb down Ennoshita’s nose.

“I always knew you’d be one of those gross, mushy couples,” Suga remarked as he walked by. “Stop being mushy and hurry up! We need one more for volleyball!”

It was a good thing Ennoshita had sunscreen covering his burning cheeks. “Go play with them, Ryuu. I’m going to sit in the shade.”

“Oi. You promised a kiss.”

Ennoshita gave an apologetic smile. “Not with so many people around.” As much as he would have loved to--

Suga draped a towel over their heads. “Problem solved! Now you can be as gross as you want!”

The sun shined through the white towel with ease, not sparing Ennoshita a single detail of Tanaka’s dorky, smiling face, or the hesitation that twisted Tanaka’s brow when he stopped to think for once in his life. “Y-You know, you don’t really gotta…”

The concern was appreciated, despite its irrelevance. “Hm, what did you say? I couldn’t hear you,” Ennoshita hummed, draping his arms over Tanaka’s shoulders and blatantly staring at Tanaka's lips.

“I said,” Tanaka cleared his throat dramatically, wrapping his arms around Ennoshita’s waist, “gimme a kiss!”

Kissing was one of Tanaka’s many talents; even the quick peck was addicting, a gentleness that suited the softer side of Tanaka he reserved for those close to him, with a perfectly timed pause with their lips together before pulling away.

If Ennoshita’s plan played out the way he wanted, there’d be plenty more of those to look forward to.

* * *

“...Do you remember that time in our first year when--”

“Nope.”

“--when Tanaka first showed up with his new buzzcut, and you had to excuse yourself for 20 minutes cause you wouldn’t stop blushing?” Kinoshita flopped backward onto his towel. “You had it so bad for him.”

“Mhm.”

“You still have it bad for him.”

Ennoshita’s gaze never left the man in question, watching from the shade of the umbrella as Tanaka high-fived Shimizu after her spike. “Mmmhm.”

Enough sets had gone by that nobody was counting the score anymore. The players switched sides a few times, and Ennoshita, Kinoshita, and Narita joined for a couple of sets, though they mostly opted to hang out in the shade. The current teams had been around the longest: Tanaka, Shimizu, Asahi, and Ushijima on one side, and Michimiya, Daichi, Suga, Nishinoya on the other. Asahi and Ushijima were enjoying being on the same team, and Daichi and Suga just fell into place as if the years since high school were an illusion, whereas Michimiya and Shimizu were competing as fiercely as Tanaka and Nishinoya, with plenty of confident smirks from Shimizu or silly faces from Michimiya depending on who scored.

“I’m glad you guys finally got together,” Kinoshita continued, folding his arms under his head. “It felt like one of those shows where the obvious couple doesn’t get together until season eight. Right, Narita?”

“He’s asleep.”

“Eh?! Since when?”

“Since twenty minutes ago.”

Narita - wearing dark sunglasses and laid out on his towel with his feet sticking over the edge with his heels digging into the sand - responded with a blissfully oblivious, light snore.

“Give me the sunscreen. I’m gonna draw on him.”

Ennoshita unzipped the duffle bag beside him. “Don’t let Ryuu or Nishinoya see you. I don’t need them getting any ideas.”

“It’s too late for you. Your back’s already covered in hearts because you let boyfriend put on your sunscreen.”

Ennoshita handed the bottle to Kinoshita. “As long as it’s not sunburned hearts.”

“Chikara!” Tanaka and Nishinoya chirped in unison, bounding over to him. “Water!”

Ennoshita pulled out a transparent green water gun from the cooler beside the duffle bag and sprayed at the pair, shaking his head as they shoved each other out of the way to try and get the water in their mouths. “A golden retriever and a pomeranian,” Ennoshita remarked under his breath.

Kinoshita poured a drop of sunscreen onto his fingertip before bringing it to Narita’s shoulder. “Does Nishinoya count as your boyfriend, too? Like a two-for-one package?”

“Not until he starts calling me ‘Cupcake’.” Ennoshita put the water gun back in the cooler and watched Tanaka and Nishinoya return to their opposing sides of the net over the rim of his sunglasses. “What if I said Ryuu and I weren’t really dating?”

Kinoshita stopped his devious endeavor to blink up at Ennoshita. “Huh?”

“He bribed me with food to cover up a dumb lie he told.”

“That… sounds believable for you two. The food and the dumb part, not the ‘not really dating’ part.” Kinoshita went back to drawing on Narita’s arm with sunscreen - something phallic, from the looks of it, reminding Ennoshita that nobody really ‘grew up’ so much as ‘chilled out and unfortunately paid bills’. “You said it so seriously, I almost couldn’t tell you were kidding.”

“Because I’m not kidding.”

Kinoshita stopped his lewd sunscreen drawing mid-vein to squint at Ennoshita. “You’re confusing me.”

“It’s confusing for me, too,” Ennoshita sighed.

Kinoshita scooted closer. “You’re serious,” he said quietly, voice laced with concern. “You’re really not dating? But you’re so sappy together that watching you gives me cavities.”

Ennoshita hadn’t thought they acted much differently than before. Sure, they held hands, then there was that under-the-towel kiss, but otherwise, that was all-- _Oh. So that’s why everyone kept saying ‘It’s about time’._ “I think… I think I fell for him for real, though.” He was only fooling himself if he just ‘thought’ he fell for Tanaka, and he knew it; he forfeited the right for any sliver of doubt when he looked up their horoscopes to see if they were compatible despite his firm disbelief in all that hogwash. It was a good thing they were, in fact, compatible, if he was apparently deep enough to start looking up fairy tales, and worse, to wonder if Ryuu looked up the same thing. “I’m going to confess tonight. Before we leave.”

“Ooh, a sunset beach confession. Romantic. He’ll like that,” Kinoshita winked. “What are you going to say?”

“I’m planning…” ‘Plan’ was too strong of a word, he realized once he spoke the word aloud. Sure, it was still technically a plan, he supposed - step by step, ask him to walk, get far enough away from the others that Tanaka knows it’s not part of the fake-dating, then… “I don’t really know,” he sighed. So much for having a plan. “Um… that I like him for real, I guess?”

“No way. You gotta go all out. Recite poetry about your eternal love for him. He’d eat that up.”

“He would, _if_ he felt the same way…”

“Oh, you _know_ he’d-- Wait, he’s looking at us. I think he’s coming over.”

“Chikara!” Tanaka called, running toward them. “Chikaaaaarrrrraaaa! Help me kick Noya’s ass!”

“Okay.”

“Damn, you just agreed without questioning it? You’re scary.” Tanaka leaned down to grab Ennoshita’s wrist and yank him up. “We’re gonna chicken fight with him and Suga-san. We gotta establish our dominance as the cutest couple.”

Kinoshita gave Ennoshita a Look, complete with a knowing grin, which Ennoshita chose to blatantly ignore. “Second cutest couple,” Ennoshita corrected instead, tilting his head towards Shimizu giggling as she wiped a streak of sand from Michimiya’s nose.

“Don’t worry, Cupcake. We’ll be even cuter than them someday.”

“Don’t say that in their earshot. I can’t die at the start of sunglasses season.”

“You gotta get your priorities straight, Chikara.”

* * *

As the sun began to set, so too did Ennoshita’s confidence in his plan.

It didn’t help that Tanaka was, well. Hot. As per usual. But this time, hot and shirtless. And tanned. And warm from said tan, his skin hotter than usual as he rested his shoulder against Ennoshita’s as they sat on the blanket together. It was enough to get his mind racing; if his plan failed, he’d lose the opportunity to hold him close. The perfect personal heater, gone.

“Relax. Your face is gonna get stuck like that.” Tanaka poked Ennoshita’s furrowed brow. “What are you overthinking this time?”

Everything. Would it, could it, was it mutual, was he digging too deeply into Tanaka’s need for affection, how long could they go on stealing chaste kisses and making out without having to acknowledge emotions… Maybe he should say nothing at all and let it run its course. Maybe Tanaka would call their fake relationship off eventually, or maybe Ennoshita would get lucky and they’d just get fake married after fake dating for another decade or so, buy a house and adopt a couple dozen dogs to keep the charade going. At this rate, the latter was looking more likely. 

“It’s nothing,” he lied instead, wiping the spot Tanaka poked. It was now or never, he supposed; he didn’t want to have an awkward ‘But do you  _ like _ me like me?’ convo five years into a marriage. “Um, do you… Do you want to take a walk with me?”

“You alright?” Tanaka tilted his head, giving that confused puppy look that Ennoshita was weak for. Honestly, at this point he was weak for every look Tanaka gave, with the exception of the trying-to-intimidate-a-driver-that-cut-him-off look.

“I’m fine.” Mostly. Probably. Hopefully. “I just… I could use a walk.”

“Alright, let’s go.” Tanaka stood with a grunt, wiping sand off the back of his shorts with one hand and offering his other hand to Ennoshita. 

Tanaka pulled him up with a little too much effort - probably intentionally, that bastard - forcing Ennoshita to stumble and bump into him, holding his shoulders to keep steady. “Chikara, please, we’re in public,” he teased. 

“I guess I just can’t keep my hands off you,” Ennoshita teased back, delighting in Tanaka’s incoherent stutter as a response. He pulled away but reached for Tanaka’s hand, linking their pinkies - partly because it was cute, mostly because his palms were sweating and he didn’t want to risk Tanaka grabbing his hand. “Is this okay?” he asked, giving Tanaka’s pinky a light squeeze. 

“Y-yeah. Yeah, it’s good,” Tanaka stuttered back, clearing his throat awkwardly. “You can, uh. You can lead the way.”

With an equally awkward nod back, Ennoshita turned toward the shoreline, Tanaka falling in step beside him.

Now that his not-quite-a-plan was in motion, Ennoshita realized… it was a terrible plan.

Don’t stop walking, keep it as casual as possible, have a back-up conversation ready in case it’s not mutual… Sure, he had these awkwardness prevention methods vaguely planned in case of rejection, but… what was he going to say?! How was he going to confess? ‘I like you for real’? That sounded like a middle schooler confession; he may as well have written a note that said ‘Do you like me back, circle yes or no’. And what kind of backup conversation was he going to respond to ‘I don’t like you back’ with?! ‘Haha alright, anyways, wow that’s a lot of water, huh?’ How the hell was he going to--

“Um. Hey, Chikara?” Tanaka stopped, instantly derailing Ennoshita’s plan and thoughts alike.

Their friends were no longer in sight. There weren’t many other people around, either, most having left with the setting sun.

There was just him and Tanaka.

Just Tanaka turning to him, just Tanaka smiling shyly, just Tanaka stealing his breath away.

“So, I, uh, I wanted to say, um…” Tanaka began, but his voice trailed away when he met Ennoshita’s eyes. “Nevermind, it's nothing,” he continued, his nervous laughter so faint that it was almost swallowed by the melody of the sea.

“I have something to say, too,” Ennoshita replied quietly, his eyes searching Tanaka’s.

Tanaka’s eyes had no right to be so pretty, gray eyes catching the orange dusk. “What-- what is it?” Tanaka asked, stepping closer.

Ennoshita smirked, weak but smug nonetheless. “Only if you say yours first.”

“Oi, that's cheating!” Tanaka laughed, a genuine laugh that reminded Ennoshita to breathe, reminded him that no matter what, it would all be alright. No matter what, they’d still be just like this - two longtime friends teasing each other, helping each other laugh through bad days and tense moments. Just potentially less kissing involved. Though hopefully more. Way too much more. “How ‘bout this: we say it at the same time.”

“Okay. Okay, yeah. That’s a good idea.” Ennoshita squeezed the pinky linked with his own again, resisting the urge to grab the hand in full, to reach for both of Tanaka’s hands to hold in his firmly. “On a count of three?”

“Yeah, yeah-- Wait, like ‘One, two, then say it? Or one, two, three, then say it?”

“We’ll say the ‘three’.”

“Alright, alright.” Tanaka took in an exaggerated breath, sucking in through his teeth. “You ready?”

“Not at all.” Ennoshita closed his eyes, holding in a deep breath of his own for a count of four before opening them again. “Alright. Let's do this. Bring it on.”

“That's the spirit, Captain!” Tanaka grinned, and some of the weight straining Ennoshita’s shoulders was washed away with the waves at the sight. “Alright. On the count of three. One..."

Ennoshita closed his eyes again. “Two…”

“Three! I love you--” “I like you--” 

Ennoshita’s eyes shot open. “You love--?!”

Tanaka looked like he saw a ghost, face pale and eyes wide with horror. “I-- I mean, I mean ‘like’, n-not--"

Ennoshita interrupted Tanaka with a kiss, rough and smooshing their noses together gracelessly, but he couldn’t care in the least, wrapping his arms around Tanaka tightly. 

Tanaka relaxed in his embrace, easing their kiss with it, tilting his head and sighing against Ennoshita’s lips. He draped his arms over Ennoshita’s shoulders, dipping his fingers into his hair as he pulled away just barely only to kiss him again, softer than the first, then another, softer still.

“I love you, too,” Ennoshita sighed against Tanaka’s lips between kisses.

“Then why didn't you say that,” Tanaka stole another kiss, “instead of makin' me look like a jackass,” he teased before kissing him again.

Ennoshita gave him another two pecks, short and sweet, before he replied, “You don't need my help to look like a jackass.”

“Jerk,” Tanaka grinned against his lips, nipping at his bottom lip in gentle retaliation.

Ennoshita stole a final kiss before reluctantly breaking away to rest his forehead against Tanaka’s. “So. Um,” he cleared his throat, “I guess that means we're really dating now?”

“Yeah. Yeah,” Tanaka ran his hands over Ennoshita’s shoulders and down his arms, the path of his fingertips tingling until he grabbed Ennoshita’s hands, “guess we really are, huh.” A devious glint shined in Tanaka’s smile. “That means I don't always gotta pay for food, right?”

Ennoshita laughed sharply. “I never said that.”

Tanaka groaned, hiding his face in the crook of Ennoshita’s neck. “Chikara, have mercy on my wallet.”

“Your wallet or your heart, pick one.”

“Gotta admit, you're hot when you're scary.”

Ennoshita sighed, admittedly fondly. “We should head back. We need to say bye to Daichi-san and the others before they leave.”

Tanaka pouted that bulldog-like pout. “I wanna keep kissing my real boyfriend.”

Real boyfriend.

Real dates, real pictures together, real kisses - finally, all of it real.

Then again, Ennoshita realized - how much of it was even fake to begin with? “We can kiss more after you buy me dinner.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've got a few more fic recs!! Some of these I haven't had the chance to read through yet, but the summaries are so intriguing, I can't wait to check them out:  
> [of magic spells and dragon scales](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15529452/chapters/36048906) by bean  
> [Seasons](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15518403/chapters/36022635) by mo  
> [Swan Lake](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14155320/chapters/32625435) by emonerd_io  
> [Watching from the Distance](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9155209/chapters/20795419) by okay_klepto  
> [Sing Me to Sleep](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12317193/chapters/28002912) by KarasuSole
> 
> and ofc, there were so many good fics for [ennotana week](https://ennotana-central.tumblr.com/tagged/fanfic) this year!!


	14. profound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue: 
> 
> The deepest of conversations were held in the dead of night, hours after the sun and inhibition followed. When a person dropped their guard so honestly, so naively, to share the secret wisdoms they've reflected over the years but had never spoken to another - it was then that a person’s soul was revealed to their companion, taking shape through ideals of life and beyond.
> 
> Unless said companion was someone they’d known for a decade and dated (genuinely) for a year. Then, the conversations were a bit less profound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy birthday, Ennoshita! (12/26) I've posted EnnoTana on his birthday the past two years, so I worked on this instead of my writing obligations cause I didn't want to break tradition (￣ω￣;)
> 
> Since finishing up this fic during summer, I'd always felt the ending was rushed. At the time, it was personally what I needed, so I don't regret it. (Nothing bad happened, it was just one of those "I feel like I absolutely need to wrap this up right now.") So here's a proper epilogue!
> 
> Also, for anyone interested, I rewrote the last scene in chapter 13. Nothing happens differently, it's just fleshed out more now. The changes start at "As the sun began to set, so too did Ennoshita’s confidence in his plan."

The deepest of conversations were held in the dead of night, hours after the sun and inhibition followed. When a person dropped their guard so honestly, so naively, to share the secret wisdoms they've reflected over the years but had never spoken to another - it was then that a person’s soul was revealed to their companion, taking shape through ideals of life and beyond.

Unless said companion was someone they’d known for a decade and dated (genuinely) for a year. Then, the conversations were a bit less profound. 

“C’mon, Chikara, really? You’d use a time machine for  _ that?” _

“Mhm. If you think about it…” Chikara shifted onto his side to rest his head on Ryuu’s bare shoulder. Shirtless in their bed, as per usual; it worked out when buying pajama sets at least, Ryuu wearing the pants and Chikara taking the shirts. Most of their wardrobe was interchangeable by this point - Ryuu even wore the striped shirts sometimes. When asked, he’d blush and say it was to be ‘ironic’. Chikara thought that was a funny way to say ‘sentimental’. 

Chikara wrapped his arm over his boyfriend’s chest before he continued, “If time machines are ever made, there’d be severe repercussions of doing anything significant--”

“Whoa, slow down, Chikara,” Ryuu laughed, resting his hand on his favorite spot, Chikara’s thigh draped over his. “Did you rehearse this in your head or something? That’s a lot of big words to be stringing together.”

“Maybe. And it’s not that many ‘big words’.” Chikara pulled the blanket up more to cover most of his torso, the motion punctuated with the familiar ‘thump’ of one of the Pokemon plushies behind him falling to the ground. Probably Ryuu the Charmander; much like his namesake, he wasn’t one for staying in place. “There are probably limits to what we can do with time machines. Or probably some time travel… rules… Or something like that, I think. So, we’d be limited to doing something small.” 

“So you’re telling me,” Ryuu rubbed his thumb back and forth on the skin just above Chikara’s knee, “instead of doing something like slipping your past self some money for a rainy day, or… or stealing answers to an exam or something, you’d put on a disguise and high-five yourself?” 

“Mhm. It’ll be my way of saying ‘Congratulations on getting the hot boyfriend you want in the future’.” 

“Chikaraaaa!” Ryuu spun to grab Chikara tightly, hiding his face against the crook of Chikara’s neck and groaning into it. “You’re embarrassing me!” 

Chikara laughed lightly, returning the embrace the best he could from the angle, rubbing Ryuu’s warm back. “Consider it karma for calling me ‘Cupcake’ in front of my mom yesterday.” 

“Yeah, alright, I deserve worse.” 

A tiny bell signaled the arrival of the real owner of their apartment, a clattering of jingles drawing nearer. “Mrow?” 

Ryuu lifted his head, just barely, his breath tickling Chikara’s neck. “Finally decided to join us, huh?” 

“Mrow!” Bulbasaur hopped up onto the bed to take her usual spot on Ryuu’s pillow. She was getting so big, and wonderfully fluffy, thrice the size from when they found her, with a tail that reminded Chikara of a cleaning duster. She curled around the back and top of Ryuu’s head like a bad mohawk, her chin settling a few centimeters short of his widow’s peak. 

Chikara poked her nose gently, and she retaliated with a quick lick of his finger. 

“Where’s my boop, huh?” Ryuu pouted. 

“Ah, apologies.” He tapped the tip of Ryuu’s nose, murmuring a soft  _ ‘Boop’. _ “Better?” 

Ryuu kissed his finger. “Much better.” 

“You’re such a nerd,” Chikara sighed fondly, reaching up to give Bulbasaur’s cheek a few scratches before wrapping his arm around Ryuu’s side again. “You never told me what you’d do with a time machine.”

“Oh, yeah! Alright, listen up, cause I’m about to blow your plan way out of the water: I would pull the best prank on Tsukishima.” 

“How?!” 

“...I dunno, I didn’t think that far. But it’s gonna be great.” 

Chikara snorted. “I’ll help however I can.” 

“Of course you will. You gotta help me with my shenanigans cause you’re my boyfriend. It’s the law.” 

“I’m starting to wonder about this dating law book you’ve apparently read,” Chikara laughed lightly. “Do you remember when you wanted a time machine in high school because you thought you’d be popular with women in ten years?” 

“Pfft, yeah, how could I forget? I actually studied my ass off for two days.” 

“Two whole days?”

“Two  _ whole _ days. I was pretty much a genius after that. I’m still a savant from that experience,” Ryuu  _ hmph’d _ triumphantly, pleased with Chikara’s laugh. “That was actually ten years ago from now, huh?” 

“Hmm, maybe? Ten years ago was… when we were fifteen, so our first year.” Chikara tapped his fingertips against Ryuu’s back absently as he thought. “I think it was actually during our second year? Or maybe our third. I remember Hinata was there. So, eight or nine years.” 

“So, that means I got a year or two to see if I was right,” Ryuu grinned deviously. 

“Oh, I’m sure you are. You’re quite the catch,” Chikara replied with a soft smile, delighting in the blush creeping across Ryuu’s cheeks. “It’s a shame for Past You that you’re committed when your time finally strikes, hm?”

“Yup. Poor, poor me, happily in love instead. Life’s so cruel.” Ryuu reached up to brush a stray strand off Chikara’s forehead before brushing his fingers through Chikara’s hair. He continued with a smirk, “We should use that time machine to tell Past Us that we were really into each other during the whole ‘fake dating’ thing.” 

“I think we should use it to watch us fawn all over each other and laugh at how dumb we were about it.”

“I’m loving that plan. We could grab some popcorn and watch it like a bad rom-com.” Ryuu rested his hand on Chikara’s thigh again, back to brushing his thumb by his knee. “You know what? We should go out to that hole-in-the-wall food place like we did on our first fake date. Celebrate our fake anniversary.” 

“That sounds like fun, but--” Chikara stretched, stifling a yawn, “--wouldn’t that anniversary have been months ago?” 

“Yeah, well, I didn’t have the idea till--” Ryuu yawned back like a roar, mouth wide open and scaring Bulbasaur off the pillow, “--till just now!” 

“Let’s do it tomorrow after work, then.” Chikara kissed the tip of his boyfriend’s nose -  the real boyfriend he’d spent a year with, the real boyfriend he shared an apartment and a cat with, the real boyfriend he fell madly in love with thanks to an offer nobody could resist: free food. “Your treat.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Don't mind me, just moving these notes from chapter 13 over to the new ending~))
> 
> Thank you all so much for the incredible support for this fic. I've learned so much from this experience, and this fic and the support its gotten has helped me appreciate writing again after my bad burnout from last year. I could never thank you enough. 
> 
> And thank you to Nana and Gilrael so much for help with proofreading and reassuring me!!
> 
> To Lity: Thank you so, so much, for everything. For talking to me because I absolutely love talking to you, for working with me, for your positivity and humor that helps us all smile and look forward even when it's tough, and for your support that taught me that my writing can be so much more than some one-time lost bet.

**Author's Note:**

> oh yeah btw, i have a writing blog now! [glitch-writes.tumblr.com](http://glitch-writes.tumblr.com)


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